Further Reflections: Life is a Vapor

Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"-- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. (James 4:13-16 ESV)

Time flies when you’re having fun but the reality is that it continues to fly even if you aren’t having fun. The relentless march of time moves on. Recently I read this, “Time cannot be stopped, saved, traded or slowed. Our choice is whether we waste it, spend it or invest it.” (Gene Wood. Leading Turnaround Churches. St. Charles, IL: Churchsmart, 2001, p. 163)

The half-brother of Jesus, James, addresses this reality at an even more fundamental level. First, time is ultimately not yours, it is God’s. Secondly, time is fleeting or transitory like the morning mist that quickly burns off in the morning sun.

We often make plans as if we are guaranteed another year. I just recently bought a new desk calendar, I ordered my 2006 Day-Timer refill and I updated my schedule program for 2006. Each of these actions assumes a very basic premise, namely that I will be around to do what I planned. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for planning for the future. I believe you should invest for retirement, save for your kid’s college education and have something in the bank for a rainy day. What is in question is my attitude as I make plans.

We are encouraged to remember that God hold each life. He has numbered our days and He is the One who sustains us from day to day. Each new day we have is a gift of God’s grace not something that is owed to us. It is His prerogative to say that today is the final day on this planet. When we plan (and we should make plans) we need to recognize the centrality of God’s Lordship over our lives.

Secondly, we need to realize how fleeting life really is. I’ve told people I don’t feel any different physically than I did when I was 18. I lift, run, play tennis and am as flexible as I was in high school. In fact, overall I am in better shape than I was in high school and stronger than I was in college (of course that could just be a sad commentary on my physical shape as a kid!). Having said that, I realize that I graduated from high school when Reagan was still President and that doesn't seem that long ago to me!

What should we make of this? Simply this, we need to make the most of our days knowing that we are not living for ourselves but are living instead for God. We must not be presumptuous to think that we have tomorrow guaranteed. We need not live in fear either because God is the Lord of tomorrow. Between abject fear and presumptuous arrogance is a humble confidence in the Lord who is over us. We submit our plans to the Lord and trust that He is the one who guides our steps and governs our days. We don't know what 2006 holds in store but fortunate for us we know the One who holds 2006 in His hand. Lord willing I will write again soon.

Book Review: Life as a Vapor

Many of you who know me well know that I am a fan of Dr. John Piper. Sometime down the line I will give reviews of some of the books that have been strongly influential in my theological insights and spiritual formation. One of those books was the first book I read by Piper titled, Desiring God. It is one of my top ten books of all time. In many ways that book revolutionized my understanding of my relationship with Christ and stirred within me a greater hunger to find my satisfaction and strength in God alone.

Life as a Vapor is another of Dr. Piper's many works which is worthwhile. In this book he generally sticks to issues reminded us of the brevity of life and the importance of living for eternity. It is set up in 31 chapters with a brief prayer at the end of each chapter so you can easily use it to supplement your Bible reading with further devotional thoughts. It is a fantastic book to have around when you only have ten or fifteen minutes to read and you want your heart and mind stirred with truth.

If you have never read a Piper book this is a great place to start. You will get a good overview of his writing style as well as an understanding of what he is passionate about. Because of the devotional nature of the book it is difficult to summarize it more but I would definitely encourage you to get a copy and read it.

If you want to consider buying this book or reading it online, click on the title of this article above and it will take you to the website for this book and John Piper's ministry, Desiring God.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

I won't say much about this book because nothing really needs to be said. In anticipation of the movie I dusted off my old copy of this classic book and reread it. What struck me this time was the brevity of the story! Over the years since college I have read hundreds of novels and I forgot how quickly this one reads. I first read this book in fourth grade, again in college while taking a class on C.S. Lewis and once again this week. I think I enjoyed it more each time.

I would encourage you to read this book before seeing the movie. Not so much so you can criticize the movie but to give your imagination one last attempt at creating your own view of Narnia before it is forever changed by seeing the film. I haven't seen the film yet but I am looking forward to comparing the two. If there are significant comments about the movie I will post my thoughts.

A Few Fun Photos of Friends and Family (say it 10 times fast)

This is actually one of my favorite shots of Grace and Jenn taken while we were up at a friend's cabin in Big Bear, CA. I believe this night we had a fire going and it was nice and toasty in the cabin. Grace loves to nap after a feeding (who doesn't?) and if Jenn isn't careful by the time she is done burping Grace they are both having a nice little rest. Download the picture soon because it won't be here long when Jenn checks the blog! Hurry!


This is my attempt to be an amateur photographer. Only a few problems, first I am using a digital pocket camera and two, I have to take 200 shots to get one decent one. I guess I won't quite my day job however this was a great little hike along the lake!


I told you that we borrowed a friend's cabin up in Big Bear for the week prior to Thanksgiving. Well, this is not it. I just wanted to see if you are actually reading the captions or if you are just looking at the pictures. This was a building along the side of the road that I randomly shot because it was big and made of wood. Not the greatest criteria for taking a picture but hey, its a digital camera. One of the perks of not using film.


One of my best friends came out to visit over Thanksgiving at Jenn's parents' house up in Glendora, CA. It was an opportunity for him to finally see Grace. He was out the weekend before Grace was born when we still thought her birth was weeks away. I first met Vic when I was youth pastor in Lombard back in 1995. He's a good man.


I think that this is my new favorite picture of Grace and me. It is also one of those rare shots that I have glasses on instead of my contacts. I think that it was one of those lazy days after Thanksgiving where you sit around and read between snacking and putting up the Christmas tree. Of course in reality I was reading and snacking and Jenn, her mom and her sister were putting up the tree. Jenn is a wonderful decorator and I just try to get colors to match. Jenn's tree looks like Martha Stewart and if I did the tree it would look like one of Martha's old roommates.