Is it luck, or something else?

I feel like Glen Zorger this afternoon.

2014-08-08 14.49.48I bought a new laptop recently. It’s great. But today, I looked across the table from where I was working and saw a screw — a very small screw. It looked just like the ones in the bottom of my brand new laptop. Sure enough, the screw fit in the bottom. How lucky could I get? That screw could have fallen out anywhere: At Spanky’s this morning. At McDonald’s last night while I was at my Men’s Group. At the Chandler Group on Wednesday. On the porch. On the patio. In the car. On the road. In the grass. But it fell out right there. On the table where I work. Luck!

But the screw was a TORX T05. That means REALLY SMALL. Who has one of those in their desk? I do. I had one because my friend, Tom Milford, had to buy one one time and the thing was so cheap that he bought two and gave me one. I hadn’t seen it for years, but when cleaning out my desk just yesterday, I saw it. I thought, “I should toss this. When will I ever need it?” Well, you know the answer. It was today. Luck!

So I put the screw in and tighten it up and then noticed the other ten screws. Should I check them? Would Lenovo ship a laptop with all the case screws loose?

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Yeah — I better check them. Every one of them was loose. Some, ready to fall out, in spite of the fact that they had thread lock on them. So I tightened each one with my TORX T05 before they all had a chance to work loose and fall out. Luck!

Then I thought of Glen Zorger. He once remarked to me, “I don’t know why I worry about things. God takes care of me in every way.”

He does. Maybe it’s not luck. Maybe it’s providence. Maybe it’s divine oversight. Maybe it’s God paying attention to the most clueless of his sheep. Maybe it’s grace.

Glen went to be with the Lord last month. And it’s nice to be reminded that it’s not luck — it’s Jesus.

Reconciling God’s Sovereignty and Our Free Will

From time to time, everyone misses the point. This happens in marriage, in the workplace, and even as we approach the Bible.

One place this happens is in the opening verses of the book of Ephesians. I would guess that more theological energy has been poured into this passage extolling or refuting concepts of free-will and predestination than energy poured into understanding what the text is intended to teach.

Unless we lay aside the consternation some have concerning the free-will / sovereignty debate we will miss the point regarding the blessings God has given those who’ve turned from their sins and placed their trust in Christ’s death to pay for their sins.

From Remembering to Rejoicing

I believe that the cross of Jesus changes everything.

A symbol of intersection, it actually stands for transitions: transitions from death to life; transitions from sinners to saints; and, as this podcast notes, transitions from remembering to rejoicing.

The cross gives us much to remember and many reasons to rejoice, and Communion concentrates those elements in our lives.

As you listen to this podcast, give some thought to how much we have to be thankful for because of the Cross of Christ.