2010

Do you remember, ten years ago, we were getting all worked up in a froth about whether or not our computer age technology was going to turn on us and turn out the lights? People were storing up water and candles and canned food because rumor was the computers of the world wouldn’t understand the millennium change and would simply throw every bit, or should I say byte, of memory away wanting to start all over again thinking it was the year 1900 instead of the year 2000. The problem was a reality, but behind the scenes, the problem had already been solved. Yes, some companies were cutting the deadline a little close updating computers and mainframes, but we were assured the lights were not going out and sure enough, they didn’t. We look back to see how foolish we were to listen to such rumors, yet they were of great concern and very real to some. We now stand on the threshold of 2010 with a whole new set of rumors and fears to deal with and all the while, we’re looking at the year 2020 with skepticism and wonder. It’s time to make new promises to ourselves concerning what we will and will not do throughout this next year. We often seem to renew several failed promises from the year before to give them one more try, and there’s nothing wrong with that. All the promises we make to our self and to others, of course leans toward improvement in ones self and our relationships with others, these being normal and noble thoughts of growing more mature. I pray for your successes in 2010 and look forward to sharing more of the ups and downs in life as an encouragement to you as we travel “On The Road To Forever” together. We’re not getting any younger, but hopefully a lot wiser.
A man was exploring caves by the seashore. In one of the cave’s he found a canvas bag filled with hardened clay balls. It was as if someone had rolled clay into balls and baked them in the sun. They didn’t look like much, but the man took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time as far out into the water as possible. He thought little about it until one of the clay balls dropped to the ground and cracked open. Inside the man found a beautiful, precious stone. Excited with his find, the man began breaking the remaining balls finding that each contained a precious stone. He found thousands of dollars in the ten or so clay balls he had left, and then it struck him. He had probably thrown fifty or sixty balls into the ocean. Instead of thousands of dollars, he could have taken home tens of thousands of dollars, but for the lack of investigation, he had just thrown it away.
[Psalm 19] In 2010, is there room among the renewal of your mind and body to renew your spirit also? We are of the earth and to the earth we will return one day. Within our earthen clay vessel, there is a precious soul given by God, which will return to God for judgment one day. How many precious souls do you figure were thrown into hell last year? God’s Word can bring every precious soul out of the clay. I’ve never seen a person truly change for the better without first changing on the inside, spiritually. With God’s Word in my heart and doing God’s Will daily, though I am growing old and wasting away, I am renewed inwardly day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16) Look to God’s Word for ways to keep on improving and growing in Christ. Each new year should be met with some spiritual resolutions. Be of good cheer. Have a happy spiritual New Year.

Who's That?

Throughout the centuries, many men and women have lived nearly anonymously even though they literally changed the world with their scientific discoveries and inventions. For instance, if I said Nikola Tesla, except for a very few people I know, I would be willing to bet you have absolutely no idea who this person was even though he had changed the world in the late 1800’s. Born 1856, in what we know today as Croatia, Tesla was an educated mechanical and electrical engineer. Working throughout Europe as a young man Tesla came to America in 1884 to work with the world renowned Thomas Edison. A former employer wrote to Edison, “I know two great men and you are one of them; the other is this young man.” At the Edison Machine Works, Tesla began with simple electrical engineering projects and soon progressed to solving the company’s most difficult problems. Edison had promised Tesla $50,000 if he could redesign Edison’s inefficient DC motors and generators, making an improvement in both service and economy. Tesla did just that, but never received the money. The history of Tesla is long and involved, but after leaving Edison, he went on to patent hundreds of inventions, which we still use today. Tesla is responsible for the use of alternating current throughout the world instead of direct current and batteries, the first form of commercial electricity. You can thank Nikola Tesla for the now common AC electric motor, which helped to usher in the Second Industrial Revolution. You can credit him for the better light bulb, florescent lighting, the first electric cars, a few weapons of destruction, the modern medical x-ray tube, all forms of transmitting electrical power used today and radio. Yes, Tesla, not Marconi, built the first radio transmitter and receiver along with the frequency oscillator, the knob you turn to change channels. There are statues and museums dedicated to Tesla, yet he is an unknown person.
While walking in the park with her grandmother, a four-year-old picked something off the ground and started to put it in her mouth. Granny took the item away from her and asked her not to do that. The little girl asked her “Why?” and grandma explained it was dirty and probably had germs on it. The girl looked at her grandmother with total admiration and asked, “Grandma, how do you know all this stuff? You’re so smart.” “All grandmas know this stuff. It’s on the Grandma Test. You have to know or you can’t be a grandma.” They walked a little in silence, then the young one had an insight, “Oh, I get it! If you don’t pass the test, you get to be a grandpa.” “Exactly”, replied grandma.
[Luke 1: 26-33] Tesla is basically unknown, yet we use what he gave us every day without thinking or giving him glory. Jesus also changed the world. Jesus is well known for all he gave us, yet we refuse to use most of it. “Well, it’s the spirit thing. I just can’t get my hand on it to understand it.” Okay. When was the last time you put your hand on electricity? You can feel it, yet can’t see it. Do you not respect it, understand it and use it all the time? When was the last time you felt guilty, or experienced heartache of loss and sorrow? You can feel your spirit even though you can’t see it. When was the last time you begged the favor of God, because nobody else could possibly understand? It is because of Jesus that we have been reconciled to God (Romans 5: 1-11) and man can once again walk and talk with God every day. Don’t worship the statue and ignore the love.

Perfection Does Not Exist

As an automobile mechanic for many years, I had seen the good, the bad and the ugly of owners and how they treated their vehicles. Some people can drive a vehicle for years and it still looks nearly showroom new. Most people will own a vehicle only a couple of years, use it hard, but keep it mechanically sound and reliable. Then there are some people who can tear up a brand new automobile in as little as one year. They are also the same people who call it a piece of junk blaming the manufacturer for not making it indestructible. As for me, a vehicle becomes like a good comfortable pair of shoes and I probably put too much time and money in an automobile. My average relationship with my daily transportation is about ten years and I like the challenges that come with maintaining a vehicle that long, most of the time. I really haven’t turned a wrench on my present vehicle for some time until I decided to change the engine water pump, which by the way had been leaking for several weeks. I knew the job wouldn’t be simple, it seems nothing on transverse engines is. To make a long story short, it takes several hours to complete the job at hand and believe me it also takes patience. Why? Because this is also one job I don’t want to do over again. On top of a little frustration that naturally comes with mechanical repairs, my work area is open to the elements on one side and the weather turned sour with cold temps and light rain, which tends to chill one to the bone. That’s when I find it hard to keep a good attitude about what I’m doing. However, perseverance is a very healthy trait to have and the vision to see the “light at the end of the tunnel” can overshadow weariness and doubt. I got the job done with no leaks, no drips and no errors. When I spend two days fixing my vehicle I also realize the blessing of being a two-car family, but my wife’s car fits me like new shoes I need to wear a while to break in, know what I mean? It feels good to be back in my own vehicle.
A friend asked a gentleman how it is he never married. “Well, I guess I never met the right woman,” replied the gentleman. “I guess I’ve been looking for the perfect woman.” “Oh come on now,” said the friend, “surely you’ve met at least one girl that you wanted to marry.” “Yes, there was one girl, probably the only perfect girl I ever met,” he admitted. “She was just the right everything. I really mean she was the perfect girl for me.” “Well, why didn’t you marry her then,” asked the friend? “I suppose it’s because she was looking for the perfect man”, he confessed.
[Romans 12} “…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…” This is the time of year when many people contemplate the possibility of, “getting right with God”. I applaud you if you are considering taking on this effort to maintain a better lifestyle. Please don’t attach the amendment, “as soon as I get my life straightened out”, to your declaration. God is not seeking perfect people to save. God is seeking the broken-hearted sinner. You are not perfect and you never will be in this life. I’d be a liar if I told you all your problems are going to melt away, but I can tell you with confidence, Jesus is the light at the end of the tunnel and God’s Word, the Bible, is our guide to the finish line. A righteous life is not maintenance free, but perseverance will keep you spiritually healthy, forever. It’s faith in God’s love that is life changing.

The Bride

If you know me very well you’ll know I’m not what you would call a celebrant of life. What I mean is, I don’t get all gooey over birthdays and anniversaries or Christmas or any of that stuff. I’m not really a “bah-hum-bug”, I just don’t place one day above another. Well, November and December are full of celebrate days for me, which, if I don’t watch out, I’ll smoke right on by some of them without thinking. Of course there’s Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Years Eve. The big meal I can do without, the decorating and un-decorating isn’t my thing and, believe it or not, I never made it a habit to party on New Years Eve. Now, there’s the fact that my wife’s birthday is in November and our wedding anniversary is in December, which keeps me on my toes remembering to celebrate two important days of the love in my life. Guy’s know what can happen if you forget those two days. Playing dumb doesn’t work here.
A guy walked into his friend’s office to find him sitting at his desk looking very depressed. “Hey, what’s up with you?” he asked. “Oh, it’s my wife”, the man replied. “She insisted on hiring my new secretary”. “That doesn’t sound so bad”, said the friend. “Is she blond or brunette?” “Neither”, he said sadly. “He’s bald.”
Most males don’t seem to get the point, no matter their age. While attending a Marriage Seminar, during a session dealing with communication, Joe and his wife Joyce listened to the instructor say, “It is essential that husbands and wives know each others likes and dislikes.” The instructor then hypothetically asked the men, “For instance, can you name your wife’s favorite flower?” Joe leaned toward Joyce touched her arm gently and whispered, “It’s Pillsbury, isn’t it?” A small boy, looking at his mother and father’s wedding pictures asked, “Dad, is this the day Mom came to work for us?”
A married couple was walking down the street and when they came to a mud puddle they just sort of clumsily negotiated around it. She looked at him and stated that he wasn’t as gallant as he was when she was a girl. He looked her in the eye with a grin on his face and told her she wasn’t as buoyant as she was when he was a boy.
Then there was the husband, the owner of a new car, who was somewhat reluctant to allow his wife to drive his prized possession, even to the grocery store just a few blocks away. Eventually he gave in, cautioning her as she was about to leave, “Remember, if you have an accident, the newspaper will print your age.”
He asked, “Will you love me when I’m old and feeble?” She said, “Of course I do.”
[Revelation 21] I’m not the perfect husband and I don’t think any man can claim to be. Neither is there a perfect wife, child or home, hence we will never live in a perfect community or warless world. A man in love gives his all to his bride and a woman in love strives to be pure and beautiful for her man. The bride of Christ is the church. John was shown the church by an angel as a beautiful city built with precious stones, gems and jewels. God, our creator and Jesus, the power of God, are the temple of the city (church) and the baptized obedient believers of the church worship there. The glory of God shines brightly in the city and Jesus is the truth bearer, the ruler, the head of the city (church). Are you a citizen of the Holy City, the church? Are you the bride awaiting her groom to arrive, the second coming of Christ? Is your name written in the Book of Life?