Tag Archives: gratefulness

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #12 – A Confession

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #12 – A Confession

In Week 12 of 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for a confession.

Today, I attended the Men’s Lunch that is held on Thursdays at New Horizons Christian Fellowship at 1010 Victory Lane in Starkville.

It was one of the most beautiful times of Communion I’ve experienced this year, and it all began with a brother being real and opening our discussion with, “I struggle…”

James 5:16 says,

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

I don’t often see “confession” in our gatherings. Instead, we fall into churchiness and deflect or pretend that we’ve got it all together. In so doing we become guilty of what the Apostle Paul warns against in 2 Timothy 3:5 “having a form of godliness, but denying its power.”

Imagine being sick, going to the hospital, and talking about how bad someone else’s illness is. I’ll never get well doing that. We give up the power available to us when we do that. But all it takes is one person sick and desperate enough to cry out for help to change everything.

There is power in confession, there is power in prayer, there is power in His presence and He is present among His people.

“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
– Matthew 18:20

It is no coincidence that Matthew 18:20, quoted just above, is in the context of forgiveness. Hallelujah.

This brother’s confession released what God had already pre-ordained for this moment through brethren God had already prepared for this moment.

I can’t speak for the brother who confessed about whether he was healed.

But, I was.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #9 – Constant

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #9 - Constant

In Week 9 of 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for my father’s consistency in honor of his birthday.

There are few constants in this world, and my Dad is one of them.

In a life that can be confusing to navigate, his consistency helps me solve for the variability of the rest.

I’ve tried to pass this on to our sons, teaching them:
“Do what you’ve set out to do regardless of how others act or react.”

I have found that I can navigate virtually anything with anyone when there’s something to come back to that does not move.

Thank you for being that for me, Dad.

I hope to honor you by being that for others so that this value I’ve received from you remains

Constant.

Happy Birthday.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #8 – The Questions

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #8 - The Questions

In Week 8 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for the questions.

My pastor, mentor, and spiritual father, Dr. Gregory Wilson Jones, did not just tell us what Scripture said; he constantly asked us what Scripture said.

First, he made sure we were reading, and second, he ensured we were engaged with Scripture by asking questions that made us wrestle with and explain its meaning in our own words.

Dr. Jones did not just lead Bible class, he taught Bible courses! There was literally a syllabus for each series and everyone received a printed outline for each class. He taught hefty theological concepts but in a way anyone could relate to. I remember many nights where children were sincerely engaged, asking wonderful questions during our discussions.

Dr. Jones understood that growth comes from challenges that are indicated by questions rather than from comfort that results from being spoon-fed.

Oh, how I love that man and miss him.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #7 – My Person

In Week 7 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for “my person”.

It’s conference season and this week my wife and I had a happy happenstance where we had conferences in the same city on the same day. So, we got to travel and room together.

We also have an upcoming conference where the other gets to tag along. We had a little tiff because there was yet another conference for the very next week but I couldn’t attend. I was like, “Babe, I want to, but I can’t be away from the office that long!” 🤣

I thought about this as we were traveling recently. We weren’t doing anything special this go round, no flights, no fancy restaurants, just a basic road trip. We simply wanted to be around each other. That’s not a small thing and I’m extremely thankful for it.

To have someone I want to be with who wants to be with me (today 🤣) makes me very happy.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #4 – A Welcome Visit

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #4 - A Welcome Visit

In Week 4 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for a welcome visit.

Sunday night I receive a text, “Hey Uncle Paul, I was wondering if I can come over there tomorrow and we can watch the college football national championship together”

My nephew is a son to me. He is so dear to me. Of all the things he could be doing, to think he’d want to spend time with here with us…

It brings tears to my eyes, even now.

Because there’s no where I’d rather be.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #3 – Our Sons’ Honor

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #2 - Our Sons Honor

In Week 3 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for our sons’ honor.

This past week, we celebrated our queen’s birthday.

Without my prompting, knowledge, or involvement, our sons coordinated all the moving pieces that made for a beautiful weekend. They demonstrated attentiveness and a keen understanding of their mother by cooking meals she loved.

We talked, laughed and enjoyed each other’s company all weekend long, interspersed with delicious food lovingly prepared.

It was already a gift to have our loved ones with us, but to have them near and loving on each other as a celebration of a beloved’s life… well, there’s no greater honor.

Seeing the men our children have become, as evidenced by how they honored the first lady of their life, fills me with great joy and hope.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #2 – A Walk With Mom

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #2 – A Walk With Mom

In Week 2 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for a walk with Mom.

We took a long, nice walk in the pasture.

Mom recounted where the family garden was, how much fun she and her brothers and sisters had in the loft of the barn, where she hopes to build one day.

We capped it off by visiting with my aunts and uncles who all shared their own stories. It was a stroll back to a beautiful time with the most beautiful soul I know.

The best things in life are free.

I’m grateful.

#52wog

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #6 – A Mentor’s Model

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #6 – A Mentor's Model

“Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.”
—Hebrews 13:7

In Week 6 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness I give thanks to God for a mentor’s model.

A few days ago we had tacos and pound cake. It was the favorite foods of Josh Liddell, the son of Pearson and Pepper Liddell who they lost tragically.

It’s a sort of communion shared among people from all over the world in loving memory of him.

I remember at his funeral, during the family’s procession, my mentor Pearson Liddell, thrust his hands toward heaven and with a shout that was as much a heart-wrenching grief-stricken cry, yelled, “Hallelujah! I praise Your name Lord!”

That broke something in me.

It broke, if just for a moment, my preoccupation with this world that is passing away and shifted it toward what is and will be forever: eternal life through Christ with God and each other.

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.”
—John 17:20-21

It shifted my focus to such powerful Life that it subdues even death, reducing it to “just sleeping” so that when we die, we await our rising with all those who have fallen asleep to a New Day that never ends where we’ll never be afraid again.

“These things He said, and after that He said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.'”
—John 11:11

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.”
—1 Thessalonians 4:13

But, eternal life, as my mentor demonstrated, is not just something we look forward to for later. It’s something we have right now.

“He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”
—1 John 5:12-13

Christ gives us inextinguishable Life now.

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?'”
—John 11:25-26

This Life could not be suppressed or snuffed out even by the unbelievable pressure of an ocean of grief. In the midst of all they were going through, eternal life erupted and burst through to praise.

“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed– always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”
—2 Corinthians 4:8-10

My mentors showed me what this means.

They made eternal Life real to me.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #3 – A Son And An Eternal Brother

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - Week 3 of 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness - A Son and Eternal Brother

In week 3 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for a son and an eternal brother.

Marriage by the law gained me someone as dear as a son to me, my nephew, Devin Mabry, the son of my sister-in-law Gloria Harris.

Marriage to Christ by faith through the covenant of His blood has gained me a beloved and eternal brother, because Devin is now the son of God, the Father of our Lord and elder brother Jesus Christ.

He was just baptized.

Another brother, Jimmy Gant, said during a gathering, that the only thing you can take from this life to heaven is your loved ones.

I cannot express the deep gladness I have in knowing I will have someone so dear to me as Devin Mabry in this life and in the one to come.

Such joy is in my heart, pressed down, shaken together and running over.

Welcome, brother Devin.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG

52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #2 – Jay Hurdle

Paul Luckett | Brainflurry.com - 52 Weeks Of Gratefulness #2 – Jay Hurdle

In week 2 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks to God for Jay Hurdle.

A young man with a prior felony has been working diligently to put his past behind him.

He’s holding down a job. His supervisor praised him as one of the best on staff. He’s taking care of his ailing mother. He’s showing up for his kids. He’s going straight from work to home.

He’s keeping his nose clean.

Then one day he decides to give someone he knows from around the way a ride, and they’re stopped by the police.

He has a felony, his rider has a felony, but what the young man doesn’t know is, the rider has a gun.

The rider throws the gun in the car and flees.

The rider escapes. The young man doesn’t.

Now he’s facing 10 years for a poor decision made in a split second about something as trivial as a passenger.

You’d think his efforts to improve his situation would be taken into consideration, but that’s not how the machine works, especially for certain categories of prior offenses and for certain people. All the system sees is your prior. It was without compassion.

But, Jay Hurdle was compassionate.

The young man was without direction, the public defender seemed indifferent, overwhelmed by his case load, and the young man couldn’t really afford to pay for his own defense.

Of all the lawyers we reached out to, Jay Hurdle was the only one to return the call.

Not only that, he arranged to meet with the young man, freely sharing hours of precious billable time to a complete stranger from whom he had no hope of recouping it.

The young man was terrified and Jay Hurdle gave of his time and expertise to help him gain some sense of direction.

I don’t know Jay Hurdle well, but I know the effect he’s had on our community very well.

Of the community service organizations and non-profits I’ve worked with, I was constantly brushing up against his work, very often him having donated it.

It seems that whenever I hear about something good happening in our community, I hear his and his wife, Cate Van Halsema’s name.

They are remarkably human and have given themselves to the betterment of our community, including in that people who others would omit.

I share this experience with Jay Hurdle because probably no one else in the world knows he did it.

And, if he did this, how much more?

I didn’t know Jay Hurdle well, but I know this is who he is: a neighbor the kind that Jesus spoke of.

I was grieved to hear of his passing.

There’s a Celebration of Jay Hurdle’s Life happening at the upstairs of Restaurant Tyler at 5:30 PM today.

If you’ve felt the effect of his life, I encourage you to carry it and pass it along, especially to Cate Van Halsema and his loved ones during this incredibly difficult season.

He is a man #duehonor.

He made our community better.

I’m grateful.

#52WoG