Ransomed Heart in Iowa this weekend

This upcoming weekend I get to travel to Indianola, Iowa, for a Wild at Heart Boot Camp. There will be hiking, climbing, swimming, zip lines and many activities to bond with other men.

It will be a time of guided personal reflection and an expedition of the heart. Bart Hansen of the Ransomed Heart team will be there.

I expect to be changed in a good way and will share my insights in future posts.

Gifts from God

I know that, on at least one of my birthday parties as a child, I was ungrateful for the gifts that people gave me. In "The Good and Beautiful God" by James Bryan Smith, he compares watching a child open birthday presents to our gifts from God:

I once watched a child open her presents at a birthday party that all of her friends and their parents attended. She especially wanted a certain gift that she did not get. One by one she opened each package, and the child who gave it watched, smiling with anticipation, only to watch her snub her nose and push the package aside. It was painfully embarrassing to all of us, especially to the birthday girl's parents. It was a startling example of ingratitude. She was given gift after gift, and all she could think about was the one gift she wanted. I later learned that the gift she wanted was neither precious nor valuable, but was inferior to many of the gifts she received.

As I drove home I thought about how awful that experience was, and how spoiled and ungrateful that little girl was. Then the Spirit whispered, 'Are you so different?' I thought about how often I focus on something I want God to do for me, and neglect the ten thousand things -- often better things -- he has already done. I fuss about my 'cups,' little and large (not having enough money to do this or that, a problem at work, a strain in a relationship), and never once stop and thank God that I have eyes to see. If I lost my sight and had a million dollars, I would gladly pay it to get my eyesight back. My eyes are worth a million dollars. So is my heart. And my ears. And my wife. And my children. If I were wise, I would spend time each day thanking God for the 'vast treasure' he has given me. I could start, but I could never stop.

Thank you, God for your tremendous blessings.