[Jesus] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Typically – and especially now I’ve become more of a frequent flyer – I reserve the aisle seat so I won’t be quite so badly squished. But this most recent trip I switched with a man who had been separated from his family; I ended up by the window in the back of the plane!

The surprise/serendipity/payoff was a beautiful view, flying down the Gulf Coast of Florida and into Tampa. It’s been a while since I looked out over and through the clouds, and I’m glad that I did. I managed to capture some of my best in-flight pictures to date.

Then, Monday morning, driving through downtown Tampa on my way to the airport, I hit enough Kennedy Boulevard stand-still traffic and red-lights to grab a great sequence of city-scape photos.

Both events made me think about the opportunity that is always in front of us, to take an inconvenience (giving up a seat, being snarled in traffic, hitting all the red-lights) and work it for the good. Without gridlock there would have been no great pictures; ditto the squished-in seat on row 44 at the exact back of the plane.

A CONSCIOUS GRACE: This week I’ve been continuing my study of the book of Philippians, reading Paul’s letter along with a bunch of the guys at WFPC. My insight today is how much of Paul’s amazing testimony emerged out of hardship, plans gone awry, “failure”, disappointment, redirection, and being forced to rely on the grace of God.

So today, as I celebrate my 58th birthday, I’m grateful that God’s grace is more than sufficient. That being said, I want to move into my future more sensitive to God’s Spirit, and less dependent on circumstances to grab my attention and steer me toward understanding.

Serendipity means to be surprised by joy. Nice as serendipity is, the Jesus quality of joy, insight, and peace present themselves as consistent elements of our daily journey as disciples. Surely joy for the Christian should be less of a surprise, and more of a conscious grace?

[Jesus] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

Just a handful of the best shots: