Birthday Wishes

The temperature drops. Several inches of snowfall loom on the Western horizon. The signs are clear, there’s no mistaking: it’s my birthday all right. Christmas, New Year’s, Ben’s birthday… all in succession.

My earliest claim to fame was being “First Baby of the Year” in Clarkston, Michigan, for 19__. (Bonus points to the reader – not a family member or longtime close friend – who can guess the year: your trivia for the day.) The last time I paid a visit to the old hometown was 2002, and it has transformed from a cozy small town to a full-fledged upscale suburban bedroom community along the Interstate between Detroit and Flint. If you’ve got to live along that corridor, Clarkston is a nice place to be… trust me. Anyway, I’ve digressed, but I have the right to do so on my birthday.

Not that you were even considering giving me anything, but just in case you feel a mild tinge of guilt about missing my birthday, here’s what you can do: donate to the World Vision tsunami relief program through Jim C.’s page. He has the modest but admirable goal of raising $2,000. If you haven’t given yet, or you can give a little more, why don’t you show your support for Jim and the Rocky Mountain Alliance a bit along the way?

Birthdays, at least for me, are a time for reflection on the past year. Looking back, I can really see God’s faithfulness. I’ve grown a bit spiritually, and my faith is a bit stronger than it was this time in 2004. But I still have a long way to go. The following has been one of my favorite Scripture passages for years now:

Lamentations 3:20-25
20 Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me.
21 This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope.
22 The LORD’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.
24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I have hope in Him.”
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.

May God bless you richly today.

Update: We have a winner in the “Guess which year Ben was born” contest. Congratulations to Jared, who correctly said 1977. (Yes, I am a youngster.) If you’ve yet to visit Jared’s blog, now is the time to go.