Are You Stormy?

Texans invited Irene to dinner, but she obviously declined preferring the East Coast instead. A couple of tropical storms born in the Gulf of Mexico turned us down also. I guess we need to work on our tourism advertizing. You don’t think our border control is a little too tight turning the storms away, do you? Not! We came oh so close to enjoying a rain shower the other day, but it just wouldn’t happen. Looking to the north and seeing those black clouds coming toward us lifted the spirits of the whole city. A nice cool breeze started blowing and the smell of rain was in the air, but after a few teasing sprinkles of rain, the clouds blew on by. What a let down. Well, if nothing else, we were blessed with a less than 100 + degree afternoon and evening, giving our air conditioners an overnight much deserved rest. The drought is serious enough that people are really concerned about the health of the trees and other plant-life in the area. The threat of fire is increasing every day and the sad appearance of wilting tree leaves, and the demise of some trees, is very apparent as one looks into the undeveloped roadside fields and woodlands, proof that the lack of rain is truly beginning to take its toll on the environment. I don’t like to water, but it’s gotten to a point where I’m trying to help my yard trees survive more than worrying about grass growth. One of my pecan trees has already begun to abort its fall crop of nuts. The tree has made no apology nor issued an excuse for its behavior, but I guess it’s because the tree is simply unable to nourish them to maturity. Looking on the bright side of the current situation, we’re one day closer to the next rain and enjoying the blessings that will grow out of it.
An older gentleman was on the operating table awaiting surgery. He insisted that his son, a renowned surgeon, perform the operation. As he was about to get the anesthesia he asked to speak to his son. “Yes dad, what is it”, asked the son. “Don’t be nervous, son”, began the father, “do your best and just remember, if it doesn’t go well, if something happens to me, your mother is going to come and live with you.”
[Acts 9: 1-31; Chaps. 21-28] At times the storms of life have a tendency to sneak up on us totally by surprise, but at other times we know they’re coming but do little to prepare for their arrive. The storms of life, no matter how big or how small, change our outlook on life and how we live. The Bible is full of storms and stormy people; hence, the Bible is a great learning tool in dealing with life and living. The Old Testament is a teacher of faith and Jesus is the perfecter of faith. The Apostle Paul (Saul) was a storm producing at times fear, uncertainty and great joy in the lives that he blew through. He was known as one who was willing to defeat the Way (Christianity) using any means to do it. Then he encountered the great storm, Jesus, on the road to Damascus. Jesus completely changed Paul’s life. From the time of his conversion until his death, Paul was a hurricane for Christ. In the Book of Acts, Paul testifies to his conversion to common people and kings alike convincing many, almost convincing some and was totally rejected by others. The Bible is warning of an impending storm that each and every one of us will have to go through and how to prepare for it that we might survive (1 Thessalonians 4:13 – 5:24). You are a storm in someone’s life whether they like it or not. You can be destructive or you can patiently nurture them with love and kindness to the understanding of God’s truth. How many souls will your faith bring to Christ?

Accepting The Culture

I got to tell you, I wasn’t born and raised Southern, but I have to admit, Uncle Sam did me a big favor by moving me out of snow country to Texas in 1969. Growing up in a rural town in Upstate New York sort of set me up to blend into the Texan culture without too much trouble because some things I already knew and lived, but some others I had to learn in order to be accepted in rural Texas. So, to help out some of the newcomers to rural Texas, and their ill-fitting teens who are trying to change the culture but still can’t fit in the why they want, with tongue-in-cheek, I offer you ten adjustments you might consider that could bring you peace and gain respect from true Southerners. 1. Pull your droopy draws up. You look like an idiot! 2. While you’re at it, put your hat on straight, unless your head is truly that crooked. 3. Cattle are live steaks and they smell funny because they don’t shower too often. But, they smell like money to a cattleman, so get over it or hit the road back to where you come from. 4. People wave when they meet you on the road. It’s called being friendly. Try to understand the concept. 5. Yeah, rural Texans still eat meat, taters, beans, biscuits, homemade peach cobbler and wash it down with ice cold sweet tea. If you want sushi and caviar, you might try the bait shop. 6. By the way, turn down that blasted car stereo. That tumpity-thump stuff you call music ain’t music anyway. People don’t want to hear it anymore than they want to see your boxers hangin’ outside your droopy drawers. 7. If you’re invited to someone’s house and bring some coke with ya, it better be brown, wet and served over ice. 8. And, if you bring Mary Jane with ya, she better be cute, have long blond hair, know how to drive a truck and shoot a rifle. 9. August to November, or there bout’s, Friday night and Saturday afternoon is football outdoors. August thru February, or there bouts, Sunday afternoon is football indoors. If you’re bringing the bar-b-que and drinks, you’re welcome (Leave your kids and dogs at home). 10. A ten inch rain followed by a small flood is just a healthy cleansing of the land. Don’t panic and raid the grocery store. Worse case, you might have to actually stay home from work or miss going to Wal-Mart one day. It’s still a little laid back in rural Texas, so throttle back your turbo lifestyle before you blow a gasket.
[Romans 6] I think I’d rather take a whippin’ out back of the woodshed than have to move. Moving can be as simple as across town to complicated as moving to a foreign country and some people do it with ease. And after settling into your new crib, culture shock can, and most likely will, change your lifestyle. To live in harmony in a new culture one is not familiar with, you must give up parts of your former lifestyle and adopt the lifestyle of the culture you now live in. It’s like getting married to that perfect person whom you discover isn’t and compromise sets in. I think Paul’s message to the Romans is somewhat along these lines. God’s pardonable grace is a wonderful thing and, as a baptized member of the church, knowing my sins are forgiven is comforting indeed, but I cannot keep living the lifestyle of a wanton sinner expecting God to continue forgiving me. That’s not the culture of the church. My obedience to the oracles of God produces grace, so I must give up the things of my former lifestyle that are contrary to God’s will for me. But, I must always remember, no matter how righteous I may become, I am still a sinner in need of grace, the free gift given by God.

New Season - New Schedule

What’s happened to the dream? You know, the one that all American’s used to have; the one full of adventure and hope. The dream of who you could be, what you could become and how you were going to get there, just doesn’t seem to spark a fire under anyone anymore. This country is not in a recession, it’s in a deep dark depression and I don’t mean monetarily wise. I hear people saying how bad we have it in this country and seem to forget just how good we have it compared to the rest of the world. We’re spoiled brats waiting on someone to clean up our mess and powder our behinds so we can be comfortable playing in the sandbox until we need something else we’re too lazy to go get for ourselves. So, we kick and scream until somebody comes to service us. That’s not how this country was built, but I guarantee you one thing, that’s how this country is going to fall. And that’s all I’ve to say about that, for now.
Well, it’s football season again, which means it’s time to refresh your mind as to the terms of Church Football. Quarterback Sneak: Church members quietly leave during the invitation song. Halftime: The period between Bible Class and Worship when many choose to leave and others are just arriving. Backfield In Motion: Making a trip to the back during worship service. Staying In The Pocket: What happens to a lot of the money that could be given towards the Lord’s work. Two Minute Warning: The point when you realize the sermon is almost over and you begin to gather up your children and belongings. Sudden Death: What happens to the attention span of the congregation when the preacher goes “overtime”. Trap: You’re called on to lead a prayer and you’re asleep. End Run: Getting out of the building quickly. Flex Defense: The ability to allow nothing said during the sermon to affect your life in any way. Blitz: The rush to the restaurants following the closing prayer. Halfback Option: The decision of 50% of the congregation to not come back for the evening worship.
Do you need a new schedule to help you through the week, a sort of anti-depressant self-improvement, lifter-upper? Here we go: Monday-Wash Day: Lord, help me wash away all my selfishness and vanity so I may serve you with perfect humility through the week ahead. Tuesday-Ironing Day: Dear Lord, help me iron out all the wrinkles of prejudice I have collected through the years so that I may see the beauty in others. Wednesday-Mending Day: Oh God, help me mend my ways so I will not set a bad example for others. Thursday-Cleaning Day: Lord Jesus, help me dust out all the many faults I have been hiding in the secret corners of my heart. Friday-Shopping Day: Oh God, give me the grace to shop wisely so I may purchase eternal happiness for myself and all others who need love. Saturday-Cooking Day: Help me, my Savior, to brew a big kettle of brotherly love and serve it with clean sweet bread of human kindness. Sunday-The Lord’s Day: Oh God, I have prepared my house for you. Please come into my heart so I may spend the day and the rest of my life with you. Have a great week, and by the way, Sunday is the beginning of the week not the end.
[Joshua 22] An alter was built that almost caused a war. Others misunderstood the reason for building the alter. The alter was called Witness, “For”, they (builders) said, “it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.” Being a witness for God can stir ill feelings against you by some, but Godly virtues witness to a saved soul; your own.

When Are We Better Off?

I really don’t want to get off on a rant here, but let’s review our current financial status. Let see, the debt ceiling has been raised a couple of trillion dollars which has devalued the dollar even more …oh, I guess our politicians and the liberal news media forgot to mention that didn’t they! Yeah, your dollar isn’t worth as much as it was last week because we’ve encored more debt! Our triple A financial rating, as a country, has been downgraded, something the politicians said would not happen if the debt ceiling was raised. The stock market, you know, that place where your 401K life savings is being gambled with, and the politicians said you would never lose, has nearly crashed again, deep sixing more of your retirement money just like two years ago. But according to Mr. Obama, “We’re going to pull through this”. Not if the politicians keep trying to fix it we won’t. The American public has been trying to tell Washington how to fix our financial problems for decades, but our representatives just don’t seem to want to represent the people. Rather, they are still looking for ways to make a buck for themselves. I don’t want my tax dollars building a new Afghanistan. After nine years of messing around, Osama bin Laden is dead! Pack up and come home! I think now that NASA has nothing to do except try to weasel money out of the taxpayer to find water on Mars or some other nonsensical space probe, they ought to be put to work finding affordable energy sources for the people who write their paychecks. The politicians need to get to work on balancing their budgets and finding out why a man can’t find a job, yet the oil companies are entitled to drive up the prices on everything by simply raising the price of gasoline for no apparent reason except to satisfy stockholders. If I were deemed to be “price gouging” on my retail pricing, like the oil industry, the automobile industry and other corporations, I’d probably be fined, lose my business and end up in jail. Ah, but greed is the American way now, isn’t it.
In Portland, Oregon, a seven-year-old girl’s lemonade stand was shut down by the police because she didn’t get a $120.00 business license. On the bright side, by closing her business she’s now eligible for a $108,000.00 government bailout.
[1 John 2: 1-17] A lawyer insured a box of very expensive cigars. Then he made a claim to the insurance company for, “…lose of the cigars in a series of small fires”. The insurance company paid the claim, then sued the lawyer for arson, “…intentionally setting fire to the insured property”. We seem to worry more about our physical life and what we can gain by being so wise, than we do about our spiritual life and how much wisdom is available in God’s Word. If we continue to put our faith in the world and other men, following their commands, we are going to continue to be disappointed in this life. But, if we put our faith in the Lord Jesus, following his commands, he will represent us in truth and righteousness throughout this life and the life to come. Like the lawyer, you cannot out wit God. If you try, I guarantee you will get burned in the end. Even if you feel you’re being blessed by God for the good deeds in your life, be careful, for if you’re not giving the glory to God, you’ve already received your reward in full (Matthew 6:1-4). No works, no deeds, no man, can pull you through from this life to life eternal in heaven. Only you’re obedience in the Word of God will pull you through, for salvation is found in the will and the grace of God (Ephesians 2: 1-10).