FROM PEYTON

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

After watching Beth struggle with pneumonia and Ian battle (and still battle) a rough cold for almost a month, I thought I was going to emerge unscathed.

Nope.

So I pen this today still chilled, feverish, achy and sweating, enjoying a little late season influenza.  I welcome your prayers.

But while laying on the couch with water, Tamiflu, cough syrup and Kleenex nearby I caught some of the departing press conference for Peyton Manning.

And whether you are a Peyton fan or not, whether you think he is getting a little pass for recent alleged indiscretions, he did at least quote scripture (1 Timothy 4:7)  and also made a really good point in his presser.

He said in so many words that at the end of the day it wasn’t as much about football as it was about relationships. 

That is good.

Real good.

“When you are in the final days of your life, what will you want?

Will you hug that college degree in the walnut frame? Will you ask to be carried to the garage so you can sit in your car? Will you find comfort in rereading your financial statement? Of course not. What will matter then will be people. If relationships will matter most then, shouldn't they matter most now?” ― Max Lucado

And while Peyton was clearly not in the final days of life, for someone like him the end of football will have its own share of grieving and finality.  And what Lucado surmises is TRUE.

What matters IS relationships.

Value them.

Elevate them.

Appreciate them.

This past weekend we shared in a staff enrichment that EMPHASIZED the importance of relationships; with EACH other and with GOD.  It was a beautiful time of openness, sharing, and loving each other and the GOD who brought us together.

And while I admitted to the team that those sorts of gatherings generally don’t cater to my introverted nature, I was enriched by the relationships.  I walked away appreciating my colleagues more, their friendships more and GOD even more.

You see Paul emphasized one way we are to embrace our relationships…

…encourage each other to build each other up – 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (LB)

So for you all, my relationships, I pray this today…

Lord,

I love my friends so much.

They are always kind to me.

I pray that they would see themselves as you see them.

I pray that YOU Lord would fill them with your love and the love from others.

Encourage them when they tire.

Protect them as they navigate today.

Bless them as they have blessed me.

I love you all!

Opportunities for Hope (Champions Charge)