Carroll Marr is the senior pastor of Southcliff Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. "I don't really want to bore you with the facts about me. I'm just a normal guy. A pastor. A husband. A Dad. A wannabe Granddad. If you'd like more information about all things Carroll, well just read on."
I feel that I must give you some insight into the purpose of this blog. Actually, I am not sure of its purpose but can tell you what you might expect. I will use this space to chat about things that I observe, think, experience, or otherwise encounter. To me, a blog is an opportunity to openly dialogue and stimulate thinking. I will not always answer questions raised; in fact, at times, I will raise them and challenge you to answer. I will always, I think, leave the topic incomplete. That, to me, is the nature of a blog. If I complete the topic it should be a book and not a blog. Sometimes the thoughts will be fun sometimes serious. I do not intend to give you a daily devotional though I would be happy to recommend a couple. My hope is to inspire at times, encourage at others, entertain at others and occasionally make you think a little. We will see if I accomplish any of the above.
Oh I am sorry - got distracted. I believe there are things that we can do to increase our attention span and stay more focused. It seems that this must have been a problem for most of the Nation of Israel as God dealt with them because He offered some helps to keep them focused. These helps came in the form of memorials. Remember? God would move in some big way to rescue His people and then would inform them to erect a memorial to commemorate the event, least they forget or get distracted. Often the memorials were nothing more than a pile of rock situated to stand out in the normal terrain, so as to draw the attention of a child who might ask what is that pile of rocks there for? “Oh”, would come the response, “that is a reminder of the time when God took care of us.”
I have discovered that God’s method works. I know that should be a no brainer but for me it was a great discovery. I have tried to commemorate the times of God’s faithfulness in my life with some simple reminder that when seen will jar my memory and help me focus again on His faithfulness. I should have learned this lesson as a child ‘cause I remember my dad gave everyone in the small church he pastored a small cross to carry in their pocket as a reminder of God’s faithfulness. He said as you reach into your pocket during the day to retrieve change you will see the cross and remember what God has done for you.
Good idea, but because I have ADD it took me a few years to figure out on my own what my dad was trying to teach me. Now I have simple reminders throughout my home, in my truck, and in my pocket, that serve as memorials to keep my focus on him. This works for me, so maybe you should try it too. Oh I would also suggest that you journal. His gifts are so abundant that you will run out of room for the memorials so write them down and review them often. Besides, one day when I am gone my sons might thumb through my journal and say, “Wow! God is good.”
