Saturday, April 20, 2013

Lauren's 20th Birthday ~ April 20, 2013

Today Lauren would have turned 20 years old. Here is picture of her and her daddy at the last birthday we celebrated together. She was 16 years old.


As usual, we celebrate Lauren's birthday by doing random acts of kindness for others. Recently during our church's weekly Bible study, we have been looking closely at Philippians. Philippians 2:1-11 says:


1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death
        even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

It seems very fitting that we have been discussing and learning about enduring hardships by keep our eyes on Jesus and imitating his humility. I hope you have blessed someone else because of Lauren or that you have been on the receiving end of a blessing.