On The Road To Forever

Another Year, Already

2012-02-11T23:08:00.000-06:00

“Click” “Wha …what was that?” Uh oh, the hands of time just moved ever so slightly and there went another year whizzing by. I have to agree that another birthday still beats the alternative though. With age the holidays throughout the years seem to pop up with more frequent regularity almost making one think someone has shortened the calendar year. I think the toughest feelings to overcome at birthday time is when the mind drifts back over the years rehearsing all the “what if’s” and the “if only’s” that experience and wisdom could go back and correct. But alas, we can’t go back, only press forward and pray to leave a legacy behind that will help insure that the young people following us might have better sense, make fewer mistakes and live with fewer regrets. Enough with the nostalgic notions, “Brighten The Corner Where You Are”, because that’s where it’s happening right now and the right now is what matters.
Two elderly gentlemen were enjoying a friendly conversation when one asked the other, “Fred, how was the memory clinic you attended last month?” “Outstanding”, Fred replied. “They taught us all the latest psychological techniques: visualization, association, focus and repeat. It was great!” The other man asked, “And what was the name of that clinic?” Fred went blank. He thought and thought but he couldn’t remember. Then a smile broke across his face and he asked, “What do you call that flower with the long stem and thorns?” - “You mean a rose?” - “Yes, that’s it.” Fred turned to his wife and said, “Rose, what was the name of that memory clinic?”
A woman went to the emergency room where she was seen by a young new doctor. After about three minutes in the examination room, the doctor told her she was pregnant. She burst out of the room and ran down the corridor screaming. An older doctor stopped her and asked her what the problem was. After listening to her story he calmed her down and sat her in another room. Then the older doctor marched down the hallway to confront the younger doctor. “What is wrong with you?” he demanded. “This woman is 68 years old, has two grown children and several grand-children, and you told her she is pregnant?!” The new doctor continued to calmly write his report on his clipboard, and without looking up asked, “Does she still have the hiccups?”
The top ten signs you’re getting older: 1. You and your teeth don’t sleep together any longer; 2. You try to straighten out the wrinkles in your socks and discover you aren’t wearing any; 3. At the breakfast table you hear snap, crackle, pop and you’re not eating cereal; 4 You wonder how you could be over the hill when you can’t remember reaching the top yet; 5. When you’re on vacation and your energy runs out before the money; 6.The local pharmacist becomes your best friend; And, I can’t remember 7-10.
[Proverbs 16] I can’t say I’ve always been happy with what I’ve done with my life, but I can say I’m totally satisfied with what God has done with my life. It is said that you’ll never get out of this world alive and through my studies of God’s Word I’ve learned the Greek word for that thought is “hogwash”. I’m leaving this world more alive than when I entered it. This body that’s growing older is only temporary living quarters for my true spiritual self. “This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through; My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue; The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door; And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.” Praise God

Bitter Tastes

2012-02-04T23:17:00.000-06:00

I have two pecan trees in my yard and over the years I’ve enjoyed several pounds of fresh nuts throughout the winter months. The two trees are not equal in quantity nor quality of their fruit each and every year. One tree is a “native” type which produces lots of fruit but very small in size with a shell like granite. With patience, one can extract the nut meat which is very flavorful, but one could also be expending more energy than the reward is worth. The other tree, on the other hand, was grafted as a pup with, what I’ve been told, is a walnut tree. The quantity of fruit from this tree doesn’t compare with its neighbor, but the quality is totally different. The nut is larger and the shell is much easier to crack to extract the pulpier meat inside. Oddly enough, the two obviously different nuts on the outside, taste the same. Now, if you’ve ever sat watching television, cracking and pealing pecans, and eating them fresh out of the shell, you’ve also gotten that wickedly bitter membrane that grows in the middle of the nut in your mouth. Yuk! Pt-to-wee!! I know that nasty bitter slice of uneatable material is there, yet I inevitably let some slip by because I’m not paying close enough attention to what I’m doing. When the senses alert the brain of the intruding bitterness the reaction is, “Spit it out! Spit it out!” Self preservation is immediate and swift.
There’s a fellow who lives just down the road and he’s just about the smartest person I’ve ever known. He figured out that brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever. He also has studied a lot about time. He says that in just two days tomorrow will be yesterday. This guy is also generous with good advice. Just the other day I over-heard him tell a neighbor, “If it ain’t broke, fix it till it is”. I’ve had a question in my mind for a long time and I think he’s just the man who can come up with the answer. I’m confident that he can tell me what disease cured ham had.
Some people exercise about as much tact as the young preacher at his first funeral. Being very nervous and not knowing how to begin, he pointed to the casket and blurted out, “What you see there is nothing but an empty shell …the nut is gone.”
Youngsters have a way of expressing their feelings and confessing their faults that we seem to lose with age. One wrote: “Dear God, I bet it’s very hard for you to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are only four people in our family and I can never do it.” It seems when we are unlovable we always want to blame someone else.
[James 3: 13-18] “…I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:31-33). I still have a problem with running my mouth before engaging my brain which can lead to saying things I immediately regret, leaving a super bitter taste in my mouth. The spiritual senses immediately alert the brain, but the brain says, “Oops! Sorry, but we can’t take that back or spit it out or cover it up or blame someone else. You’ll have to go to a higher power.” We say and do things we know aren’t right and we shouldn’t do, but because we aren’t paying attention and relying on the wisdom of God, we trip over our worldly tongues. But, because we can find ways to smooth over our blunders and we don’t feel physically threatened, our worldly brain dismisses the bitter taste and moves on. The guilt is not so easily dismissed. Spiritually we’re unsettled. We have not been wise in our relationship with others. I thank God I have forgiveness in prayer through Jesus my Lord and my spirit is preserved for eternal life.

Red Light!

2012-01-28T23:09:00.000-06:00

I came close to experiencing the same kind of auto accident my wife had a year or so ago, and, in fact, at the same intersection. The “protected left turn green arrow” turned on, and as I normally do, not always, I looked the cross traffic over and sure enough here comes a one ton dually with a long trailer in tow loaded with some sort of building materials. Needless-to-say, I could tell this truck wasn’t about to stop for the red light clearly displayed right in front of the driver’s eyes. As the truck illegally sailed through the intersection, I couldn’t help but notice the driver holding some papers in one hand and a cell phone in the other, obviously conducting business, not driving the truck. If I had impatiently pulled into the intersection I too would have been another statistic of cell phone brain disengagement, which renders human beings mute to all things surrounding them. It seems the whole world has to be put on hold anymore when a cell phone screams out like a spoiled child for attention. Nothing seems to over-ride the non-importance of an incoming cell phone call. Hey, unless you’re expecting a phone call from the President of the United States looking for your advice on an important matter, give everyone a break and give your phone a rest when your brain needs to be protecting the rest of your body. The cell phone has put everyone in overloaded overdrive, speeding through life day after day, all the while being warned to slow down before we blow a gasket. I don’t know how to address the abuse of the cell phone. I do know one thing though; the cell phone is negatively influencing our young people worse than rock-n-roll and “the pill” ever did in my generation.
[Galatians 3:1-5] Paul wrote to the church in Galatia with the query of, “Who steered you away from your faith?” Someone had dragged the Law back into the church and held it up as to being the only way to heaven. The Galatians were being taught that the only way to heaven was through their worldly human efforts and observing the law. Paul reminded them that it is belief and faith that gets you into heaven not following the Law. In Paul’s letter to the Romans he said if you want to fulfill the Law, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Romans 13:8-14). Jesus taught the same (Matthew 7:7-12; 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34) It is so easy for us to run right through the red light of an important intersection of our faith when all we do is listen to someone else, believing on them, and not studying the Bible, believing on it. What would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone? What if we carried it around in our purse or pocket everywhere we went? What if we flipped through it several times a day? What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it? What if we used it to get messages from the text? What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it? What if we gave it to our kids as gifts? What if we used it when we traveled? What if we used it in case of emergency? Are you thinking right now “…Hmm, where is my Bible?” Unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to worry about it being disconnected for none payment for Jesus has paid the bill in full for a lifetime of use. Oh, and no dropped calls! In Paul’s letter to the Colossians he spelled out what Holy living should be like (Chapter 3). He topped it off with this, (v.17) “…And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Our love and concern for others is muted in our selfishness. Slow down and care a little more.

Sin Will Shipwreck You

2012-01-21T23:30:00.000-06:00

Friday, January 13th didn’t turn out to be a very lucky day for the skipper of the cruise ship, Costa Concordia nor its 3,200 passengers and crew numbering over 1,000. Captain Francesco Schettino intentionally steered his ship off course to show-off, so to speak, to some people on the island of Giglio, Italy. As the ship approached the island it hit a reef gouging a huge gash into the aft port side of the ship’s hull resulting in shipwreck and partial sinking. Lack of investigating the seriousness of the accident, the captain reported the incident as a “minor inconvenience” after the lights went out and did not issue the “abandon ship” order until one hour into the disaster. Then, it seems, the captain was one of the first people off the ship. According to an article published on MailOnline.com, by Rebecca Evans, Paul Harris and Nick Pisa, Schettino’s made his bizarre excuse for leaving the ship during a three-hour court hearing in the mainland town of Grosseto before his release. He told investigating magistrate Valeria Montesarchio: ‘The passengers were rushing all over the decks trying to scramble into the lifeboats. I didn’t even have a life jacket because I had given it to one of the passengers – I was trying to get them into the lifeboats in an orderly fashion. All of a sudden the boat listed between 60-70 degrees. I tripped and ended up in one of the lifeboats. That’s why I was in there.’ Schettino's behavior has already been called into question after dramatic audio tapes revealed how a furious harbor official had ordered him back onto the bridge to oversee the rescue, after he was shocked to learn he had already left the Concordia despite dozens of passengers still needing help. Despite freeing the captain, (now under house arrest) Judge Montesarchio wrote that he made no attempt to return to his ship and described his actions as ‘inept, negligent and imprudent’. A former captain who sailed with him claimed he handled ships ‘like a Ferrari driver’. Martino Pellegrino said: ‘I’ve always had my reservations about Schettino. He was too exuberant; a daredevil. More than once I had to put him in his place.’ This author concludes, left to our own devises, we will trip and fall every time.
An atheist asked a Christian lady if she believed the Bible was true. She said she did. “Then”, said the atheist, “tell me how a whale swallowed Jonah, as a whales stomach is no bigger than a man’s head.” The lady said she didn’t know exactly, “The Bible says it was a big fish prepared by God, but when I get to heaven I’ll get all my questions answered.” The atheist smugly asked, “What if you can’t find Jonah when you get to heaven?” The lady answered, “Then I guess you can ask him about the fish yourself.”
[Hebrews 12] …“But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). The captain of the Costa Concordia was not cruising in approved shipping lanes at the time of his accident. His excuse was the reef was not on the charts. The fact is it didn’t have to be for a ship the size of the Concordia because it didn’t belong that close to the island in the first place. Sin is the same way. Sin will take you where you never intended to go; keep you there longer than you ever intended to stay; and make you do things you never intended to do. When we deviate from the course God has laid out for us to follow, we’re headed for shipwreck. “I didn’t know”, is always our first defense. We don’t know because we don’t study God’s Word. Knowing the way is one thing; obeying the way is a must.

God Is Still In Charge

2012-01-07T23:43:00.000-06:00

I don’t think it’s a secret that I am deeply disappointed with the way I’m being represented in my local, state and federal governments. I have become despondent with the same old trash talking election year political rhetoric that promises nothing, yet all-the-while makes you think the candidate for office has the power to make things happen once elected. The Greek word for most political debates is “hogwash”. I don’t think there’s anybody left that truly loves this country enough to simply serve the people. Because our elected officials are only looking for what they can gain from office, they have failed to put their heart and soul into what we elected them to do. For the past thirty plus years my ideals and my votes have been buried by lobbyists. Money is buying my freedom out from under me. I just thank God they can’t buy my soul.
[Philippians 4: 13] I love the Lord and thank Him for all He does in my life. He is my source of existence and my Savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day. Without Him, I would be nothing. But, with Him, I can do all things. He is the first and the last; the beginning and the end. He is the keeper of creation and the Creator of all! He is the Architect of the universe and the Manager of all times. He always was; He always is; He always will be …unmoved, unchanged, undefeated and never undone. He was bruised to bring forth healing. He was pierced to ease my pain. He was persecuted to bring me freedom. He died to give me life. He has risen to become my King. He reigns to bring forth peace. The world can’t understand Him; the armies can’t defeat Him; the schools can’t explain Him; and the leaders can’t ignore Him. Herod couldn’t kill Him; The Pharisees couldn’t confuse Him; and the people couldn’t hold Him. Nero couldn’t crush Him; Hitler couldn’t silence Him; the New Age can’t replace Him; and Donahue can’t explain Him away. He is light, love, longevity and Lord. He is goodness, kindness, gentleness; and God. He is holy, righteous, mighty, powerful and pure. His ways are right, His word is eternal; His will is unchanging; and His mind is on me. He is my Redeemer, Savior, Guide and Peace. He is my joy, my comforter, my Lord and He rules my life. I serve Him because His bond is love, His burden is light and His goal for me is abundant life. I follow Him because He is the wisdom of the wise, the power of the powerful, the ancient of days, the ruler of rulers, the leader of leaders, the overseer of the over comers and the sovereign Lord of all that was, is, and is to come. And if all that seems impressive try this for size …His goal is a relationship with me and YOU! He will never leave me, forsake me, mislead me, forget me, or overlook me. When I fall; He lifts me up. When I fail; He forgives. When I am weak; He is strong. When I am lost; He is the way. When I am afraid; He is my courage. When I stumble; He steadies me. When I am hurt; He heals me. When I am broken; He mends me. When I am blind; He leads me. When I am hungry; He feeds me. When I face trials; He is with me. When I face persecution; He shields me. When I face problems; He comforts me. When I face loss; He provides for me. When I face death; He’ll carry me home. He is everything for everybody, everywhere, every time and in every way. He is God. He is faithful. I am His and He is mine. So, if you’re wondering why I feel so secure, understand this …He said it and that settles it for me. God is in control; I am on His side; and that means all is well with my soul. Amen.

Improve By Reviewing

2012-01-01T13:09:00.000-06:00

By all indications, the year 2012 is going to be a bumpy ride. The world has some more leaders posturing to be noticed as the new bully in the neighborhood. When, not if, push comes to shove, who knows what will happen between the countries of the world. I think a little less strutting and a lot more “Tebowing” could be in order this year because we could definitely use some heavenly intervention for our world leaders, including right here at home. The economic crisis is far from over and what the world governments and stock markets are getting away with would put you and me in an irresolute credit condition and bankruptcy. In fact, if I operated my household the way most governments operate their country, I would probably be prosecuted to the fullest and spend a lot of time in jail. This election year could, no I think will, make or break the USA as we know it today. If you like the lifestyle of freedom and independent thinking we all enjoy in this country, we better get on our knees this year and beg God for some leaders that are willing to heal our land, not inflict more pain with power.
Two buddies decided to go duck hunting. Neither one of them had ever been duck hunting before. After several hours they still hadn’t bagged any. One hunter turned to the other and said, “I just don’t understand it. Why aren’t we getting any ducks?” His friend replied, “I told you, I don’t think we’re throwing the dog high enough!”
A blonde was sick and tired of people making fun of her for being a blonde, so decided to hang herself. A few minutes later a couple of men walked by and saw her hanging by her wrists. “What are you doing?” they asked her. “Hanging myself”, she replied. Confused, the men said, “Usually, people hang themselves by the neck.” The blonde replied, “Duh! I tried that, but I couldn’t breathe!”
A young man agreed to baby-sit for a couple so they could have an evening out. At bedtime he sent the youngsters upstairs to bed and settled down to watch football. One child kept creeping down the stairs and the young man kept sending him back to bed. At 9 p.m. the doorbell rang. It was the next door neighbor asking if her son was there. “No”, answered the sitter. Just then a head appeared over the upstairs banister and in a voice of panic the child said, “I’m here Mom, but he won’t let me go home!”
[Matthew 16: 23-27] I have made a resolute decision this year to not make any New Year’s resolutions. Doh! I just made one! What I really feel I want to do this year is review and improve on that which I did last year. Sounds like a good plan to me. …Have I been faithful to the Lord this past year in the use of my time, resources and abilities? Spiritually speaking, how will I improve this year? Do I have hidden sins in my life that I need to purge in order to please God? Am I seeking first His kingdom or my own well-being? Who have I tried to bring to Christ this past year? Whose soul will I try to save this year? Have I fallen into the trap of allowing trivial matters to consume most of my time and distract me from issues of eternal significance? Did I set a good example in the recent year for how to live as a Christian? What spiritual goals will I work to achieve spiritual growth this new year? Am I too busy with the things of this world? There are certainly other questions that could be raised but these should give all of us something to think about and consider. So, are you going to allow the troubles of the world to consume your life or seek the kingdom that promises love and life eternal?

Where Is God In All This?

2011-12-24T23:48:00.000-06:00

I’m pretty much an unromantic humbug when it comes to celebrations and holidays. I really have a problem with the emphasis of most such occasions focused on, “What am I going to get out of this?” So I find it hard to put “into” the festive time for fear of unsatisfying the expectations of others. It’s sad that people allow the commerce game of competition to command their spirit of giving during the “Holiday Season”. A well advertized limited edition product run of the “Air Jordan” basketball shoe by Nike nearly cost some people their life. It doesn’t matter I don’t get the shoes in my size; I’m never going to wear them. The shoes are an “investment”! Yeh! Profit! And some people are willing to kill for a pair of shoes. Our selfish ideals will be our doom.
Remember what “Christmas” is all about? It’s a time of celebrating the birth of our Savior, a gift from God. So, who’s the better, Jesus or Santa Claus? Santa lives at the North Pole… Jesus is everywhere. Santa fills your stocking with goodies once a year… Jesus supplies you every need, daily. You have to wait in line to see Santa… Jesus is as close as the mention of his name. Santa lets you sit on his lap… Jesus let’s you rest in his arms. Santa doesn’t know your name. All he can say is, “Hi! What’s your name?”… Jesus knew our name before we did. Not only does he know our name, he knows our address too. He knows our history, our future and he even knows how many hairs are on our head. Santa has a belly, like a bowl full of jelly… Jesus has a heart full of love. All Santa can offer is, “Ho, Ho, Ho!”… Jesus offers health, help and hope. Santa says, “You better not cry”… Jesus says, “Cast all your cares on me and I’ll wipe away your tears.” Santa’s little helpers make toys… Jesus makes life anew, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions. Santa may make you chuckle but… Jesus gives you joy that is your strength. While Santa puts gifts under your tree… Jesus became our gift and died on a tree. It’s obvious there is no comparison. We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about. Don’t become politically correct with your spiritual well-being. We desperately need to put Christ back into Christmas because Jesus is still the reason for the season.
[Jesus} Whatever the question… He is the Answer (John 14:6). Whatever the problem… He is the Solution (Matthew 11:28-29). Whatever the hurt… He is the Healer (Luke4:18). Whatever the bondage… He is the Liberator (John 8:32). Whatever the burden… He is the Overcomer (John 16:33). Whatever the need… He is the Supplier (Matthew 7:7-8). Whatever the sin… He is the Forgiver (Hebrews 10:12-17). We honor our God throughout the year with celebrations in, remembrance of Jesus’ birth and death; Pentecost, the beginning of the church; Thanksgiving, giving thanks to the Lord for supplying our everyday needs; and so on. Our celebrations have become a mislabeled box of assorted chocolates. What I’m picking to celebrate is not turning out to be what I expected. The season of thanks has become, I need and expect more for less. The season of giving has become a season of taking and getting. What has happened to God in all this? Even worship has become a competitive commodity to gain the favor of the “believers” and become the number one church. The format for the number one church is found in God’s Word. There is one message, one God, one Savior, one Spirit; without competition. Is God happy with your God-ly celebrations?

My Only Sonshine

2011-12-17T23:08:00.001-06:00

A man is at the dentist’s office for a routine appointment and voices a complaint to the dentist about a terrible taste coming from his plate. The dentist says to the patient, “I notice your plate is severely corroded causing the foul taste. Have you had a change in your diet recently?” The man replies, “Why yes. About six months ago my wife introduced me to eggs Benedict. I fell in love with the hollandaise sauce and now I put it on everything.” “That’s it!” exclaimed the dentist. “The hollandaise sauce contains lemon juice which is very acidic. That explains the corrosion of your plate. I can replace your plate, but I’ll have to make it out of chrome.” “Why chrome?” asked the patient. With an inquisitive look the dentist said, “Why, I thought everyone knew; There’s no plate like chrome for the hollandaise.”
Like any good mother, when Karen found out another baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her three-year-old son, Michael, preparer for a new sibling. The baby was going to be a girl and Michael loved to sing to his sister in his mommy’s tummy. He was building a bond of love with his little sister before he even met her. The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen. In time the labor pains came, but serious complications arose during delivery and Karen found herself in labor for hours. After a long struggle Michael’s little sister was born, but she was in very serious condition. She was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary’s Hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee. The days inched by and the baby’s condition worsened. The doctors held very little hope and the parents were told to prepare for the worst. Michael, however, kept begging his parents to let him see his sister. “I want to sing to her”, he kept saying. Children weren’t allowed in the intensive care unit, but Karen decided to take Michael whether the staff liked it or not. A confrontation with the head nurse ended with Karen, “He’s not leaving until he sings to his sister!” Then Karen towed Michael to his sister’s bedside. He gazed at the tiny infant losing the battle to live. In the pure-hearted voice of a three-year-old, Michael began to sing, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray”. Instantly the baby responded! Pulse rate and breathing calmed and became steady. “Keep singing”, encouraged Karen with tears in her eyes. “You never know, dear, how much I love you, please don’t take my sunshine away.” Michael continued, “The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms.” The bossy head nurse, with tears rolling over her cheeks, was amazed at the immediate improvement of the infant’s vitals. Karen glowed as Michael finished his song, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, please don’t take my sunshine away.” Michael’s little sister relaxed and healing rest seemed to sweep over her. The very next day, the little girl went home.
[John 3: 16-21] The celebration of the birth of the Christ child produces more opposition every year. The Christ in Christmas is fading and the baby is in serious condition. Fewer children of each generation are being given the opportunity to sing a love song to Jesus, making it possible to bring Him home to live as a sibling. Parents are not preparing children for life, with the truth and support of God’s Word, which they can use throughout their life. Our baby’s are dying from lack of truthful love and Jesus is dying from human ignorance. “Please, don’t take my only Sonshine away.”

Time's Running Out

2011-12-10T22:34:00.000-06:00

It’s hard to believe 2011 is coming to a close. It seems like yesterday we couldn’t wait for our new WalMart to open. It felt like it was taking forever, but low and behold it even opened as scheduled. I always thought it ridiculous to hear my elders confirm over and over again, “The older you get, the faster time passes”. When I think about it I’m reminded of another wise edict introduced to my life in about the sixth grade. In one of my classes, the teacher had posted a sign next to the clock on the wall. It read, “Time will pass; Will you?” It seems the older we get the more we find to fill our time and before we know it one day runs into another, into another, into another. If we’re not careful, we wake up and can’t even think of what day it is without consulting some sort of electronic device. Every once in a while I set back and evaluate my sleep deprivation trying to determine if it’s all worth it. I often realign my daily schedule, but then it doesn’t take long before I find something more to fill the newly allocated free time. And like most people I don’t fill the time with the purposes I was seeking more time for. It’s definitely a rat race this thing we call life and living, but the only thing I’m really worried about is, am I going to pass. I think we too often fail to realize that we all carry a great responsibility to ourselves and to our existence after time runs out.
My wife and I celebrate our anniversary this month and that’s one of those dates a man ought not to forget and needs to schedule time for at least a dinner date. I’m not a romantic and do not express my feelings well, but I’m also the guy you here about all the time who confesses that, “I would be nothing today without my wife standing beside me”. It’s true. My wife quietly encourages me with a look of confidence and nonchalantly, often times, puts me on notice that it’s time to shut my mouth and act the person she knows I am. My character is weak; our character has strength.
A little boy was attending his first wedding. After the ceremony his cousin asked him, “How many women can a man marry?” “Sixteen”, the boy responded. “How do you know that?” the cousin asked. “Easy”, said the boy. “All you have to do is add it up. Like the preacher said, four better, four worse, four richer and four poorer.”
Overheard at a wedding, one said, “Boy is he in big trouble!” Another asked why he said that. He replied, “The preacher asked the bride if she took this man to be her husband and she said ‘I do’. Then the preacher asked the groom if he took this woman to be his bride, and she said, ‘He does!’”
[Ecclesiastes 3] Along with the book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes is worth reading over and over again. This book’s authorship is given to Solomon, although never stated, and the general theme relates to the significances of human life. In verse 17 the author states, “I thought in my heart, ‘God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.’” In Philippians 2:12, Paul commended the church at Philippi as they continue to obey God’s Word without having to be reminded to do so and to “…continue to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” How different this world would be if we all first looked to please our Father in heaven in all we do and think. I fear God in a healthy way, for I do not want to be punished for my selfish foolish ways when my time is finished. I am striving to pass the tests of time in this life with the help of God.

Judas Asparagus

2011-12-04T00:19:00.000-06:00

Sometimes we have to wonder if we take for granted that children understand what we are teaching. A seven-year-old was asked to write a book report on the entire Bible.
“In the beginning, near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness and some gas. The Bible says, “The Lord thy God is one’, but I think he must be older than that. Anyway, God said, ‘Give me a light!’ then God made the world. He split the Adam and made Eve. They were naked, but they weren’t embarrassed because mirrors hadn’t been invented yet. They disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden. I don’t know how. They didn’t have a car. Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel. Pretty soon all the early people died off, except for Methuselah who lived to be a million I think. One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He invited some other folks to join him, but they said they would take a rain-check. After Noah came Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a very loud sports coat. Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name is Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues to Pharaoh’s people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels and no cable. God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them his Top Ten Commandments. These include: don’t lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor’s stuff and humor thy father and mother. After Joshua came David who got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn’t sound very wise to me. After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One was Jonah, who was swallowed by a whale and got barfed up on the shore. There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don’t have to worry about them. After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of the New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn so when my mom says, ‘Close the door. Were you born in a barn?’ I could say, ‘Yes!’) During his life, Jesus had many arguments with the Pharisees and the Democrats. Jesus had twelve opossums. The worst of them was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil they named a terrible vegetable after him. Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount. But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the pilot. Pilot didn’t stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead. Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, and then came back to life again. He went up to heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.”
[1 Corinthians 13:11-13 & 2 Peter 3] I’m glad that as we mature mentally, and in the faith, we can come to a fuller understanding of the will of God for our life and our salvation. I pray I will never be too old to want to discover a deeper understanding of God’s Word. One can only do this through study of God’s Word on a level of thirsting for it. The Day of the Lord will be no laughing matter if you’re ignorant of His love.

Someone Needs You

2011-11-26T23:39:00.000-06:00

Of all the schisms in the world, me-ism has to be the most selfish, arrogant, godless, self-centered, one person cult there is. Black Friday has been conjured up by big business as the day they will attempt to make enough sales through sheer volume to bring their bottom line into the black before the end of the year. This year competition among the top retailers has broadened the 24 hour dollar feeding frenzy to 36 and 48 hours with each retailer attempting to start their sales first, thus getting customers into their establishment first. Black Friday has, in actuality, brought out the deepest darkest side of some consumers - greed! This year the serious gluttons came prepared to fight for what they felt was theirs. People introduced knives and guns and body guards as persuasive tools against formidable foes in the electronics aisle. A person would think they were fighting over the last loaf of bread on the planet. I waited two days to buy a new TV and got a better deal than if I had gone to fight the crowds on Black Friday.
Several years ago, Charles “Chuck” Swindoll had this to say about “Attitude”. “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, then failures, than successes than, what other people think, or say, or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company …a church …a home. The remarkable thing is, we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past …we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is ten percent what happens to me and ninety percent how I react to it. And so it is with you …we are in charge of our attitudes.”
[Luke 5: 27-32] It was a crisp, sunny afternoon in early December when a family had gone to the Christmas tree farm in hopes of finding a suitable tree for their home. It was an outing they relished, with family members combing the entire farm for the perfect tree. It had to be just right, not too tall, not too thin, just the right shape, and of course, a straight trunk. While searching through the pines, they came upon another family they knew and stopped to visit. They commented, “This place is filled with beautiful trees. It’s going to be hard to pick one”. Their friends replied, “Not for us. We never look for perfect trees! We’re looking for a tree that needs us! Then we’ll make it beautiful!” When it comes to picking disciples, God operates on the same principle. He can take Peter, an impulsive, erratic fisherman and make him into a powerful spokesman. He can take John, a fiery hothead and turn him into the apostle of love. God doesn’t look for perfection in deciding who can carry out his work. I’m glad of this, because that means even an unlikely type like me has possibilities in his hands. Instead of perfection, he’s looking for folks who need him! He’s looking for someone whose heart can be broken! When we realize this, then God can make something beautiful of our lives. Paul wrote to Timothy about ones attitude among people who do not know God and it’s good advise to all who profess to be of God. (2 Timothy 2: 14-26) Read it. To be of God, I must show that God is with me and that I’m willing to share my joy of life. There is someone you know who needs you. Beautify them with God.

Wise Foolishness

2011-11-19T23:31:00.000-06:00

Haaaa,ha,ha,ha! :-) In this day and age of people screaming at the top of their lungs, begging for smarter decisions from representatives in state and federal governments, the very people we love to hate, make another irrational binding decision that has everyone shaking their head wondering, what in the world are they thinking. Our legislators are very concerned with the welfare of our children and are well aware of the obesity problem creeping into the lives of our 21st century couch potatoes. (About the only well developed muscle in their body is located in the thumb area.) Well, our concerned lawmakers once again scrutinized what was being served our children at lunchtime in our schools. Nutritionists would like to have pizza day removed from the menu because the ingredients in pizza are super fattening and should be replaced with a more suitable meal. In their infinite wisdom, our lawmakers made another politically correct decision avoiding controversy from any source. Pizza was examined and it was determined that the two tablespoons of tomato paste on the pizza as its base product of toppings was enough to reclassify pizza as a vegetable, thus keeping it on school lunch program as a nutritional meal. Late night show host Jimmy Kimmel said, “That’s like calling elastic waistbands weight control devices”. Another smart decision out of D.C.
I think we need to reduce the population and a good start would be not allowing women to have children after 35. I know this is a controversial statement, but I stand by it. Women should not have children after 35! Some say, “Of course women can have children after 35!” They don’t know what they’re talking about and I can guarantee they have had very little experience in the matter. I don’t care what the doctors say. I don’t care what your friends say. I don’t even care what the preacher has to say. Women should not have children after 35! You can quote me on this. I don’t advise it, I vehemently recommend against it, and loudly, and even at times rudely tell people, “don’t even consider it!” “Women should not have children after 35!” Some will send rude emails proclaiming the freedom of the womb, but I still stand by what I said. You may disagree with me, that’s your right. I stand firm on the issue. With most things I keep an open mind, but not on this issue. If I find an exception to this rule, then I will be open for change, but for now, it is firmly closed because I have never seen an exception. Women should not have children after 35. Thirty-five children are enough!
[1 Corinthians 1: 18-31] Paul was writing to the church in Corinth about divisions in the church. New Christians were holding on to old ideals and there didn’t seem to be any unity in their baptism in Christ. Man had been separated from God since his disobedience in the Garden of Eden. Disobedience is sin and sin brought about spiritual death in mankind for the spirit was no longer being led by God. Man has a mind of his own and unfortunately he uses it way too often without consulting God. From the very beginning, God knew of this arising problem and had a plan to reconcile himself with man again. It is through Jesus that we are forgiven of our sins and it is through Jesus that we receive the Holy Spirit of God to help us and comfort us through this life. When man submits his will to God and accepts God’s will to regulate his life, hope springs forth and life is worth living. It’s all foolishness, until the wise and the selfish set aside their self-centeredness and boast in the Lord, sharing His love with concern.

Peddlers

2011-11-13T00:14:00.001-06:00

It’s become a sad state of affairs when a body is afraid to leave his own home not knowing if it will be in the same condition when he returns. Nowadays we have to lock everything up and turn on an alarm to deter theft and wanton destruction. What’s even worse, we feel we have to purchase some back-up Smith & Wesson tactical force to feel comfortable when we are at home. In the cold country where I grew up all the utilities entered the home via the basement due to freezing and other inclement weather conditions. Once a month a complete stranger would enter your home and read the meters. A knock on the door, “Meter reader” and you let the guy in, showed him the basement door and he did his business. If it was snowless, he would enter through an exterior door directly into the basement and unless you saw him you wouldn’t even know he had been there. Not anymore! In light of the news reports, especially over the past twenty years, it seems it’s getting to a point a body can’t trust anyone anymore. Not only that, but our children and our seniors are in danger of abuse and outright theft. We’re living in the world of “me” and “I” with the attitude of, if “I” want it “I’ll” do whatever it takes to get it. How much worse can it get? Standby, hide and watch.
I saw some folks going from door to door the other day in an attempt to sell a cleaning product following a rather dramatic demonstration in the home. I’ve been there before and it’s amazing to me that the product the salesperson gives you at the time of purchase never does work as good as the stuff that was in their bottle they demonstrated with. The “peddler”, one who sells door to door, has been around a long, long time. Early America, and especially early Western America, relied and depended on the peddler for much of the household goods needed to have a more comfortable life. But some peddlers had a reputation for cheating and misrepresentation in order to secure some benefit for himself. Sincerity was not high on the hucksters list. He was prepared to say anything to make a sale. For example, there is the story of the oft-fooled bald-headed man who asked the peddler, “Can you prove this is a good hair restorer?” To which the peddler replied, “One lady customer took the cork out of the bottle with her teeth and twenty-four hours later she had a full mustache!” Some folks will say almost anything if it works to their advantage. Have we been taught such behavior? Consider collegiate debate teams. They argue subjects, even nonsensical, just to practice arguing a subject (essential training for lawyers and politicians). The rub for me is that one day students argue “for” the subject at hand and the next day they argue “against” the same subject. I’m afraid that’s where some of the insensitivity of our leaders is coming from. They don’t care which side of the fence they’re on, just so long as they end up on the winning team. Can “me” ever become “we” and mean it?
[2 Corinthians 2: 12 - 3: 18] In verse 17, Paul says, “Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary; in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God.” Let’s face it. There are still “peddlers” of God’s word today. They preach to benefit themselves, although they say it’s to glorify God. Religion is being watered down, diluted to the point of being a social club. There are no absolutes of right or wrong, reward or punishment being taught our children today. I believe; therefore I speak. God’s will is written and it is mine. (2 Corinthians 4:13-18)

Who Do You Trust?

2011-11-05T23:56:00.000-05:00

Since the end of the big war, WWII, the war to end all wars, the world view of success in life is earning more money next year. Because of this philosophy the U.S. has watched its steel manufacturing, copper and other mining industries, automobile manufacturing, oil production and even farming, leave this country boycotting the ever rising cost of employment and demanded benefits by employees. The U.S. now imports more goods than it exports and the countries that now hold American jobs are thriving as we did pre the big war. The problem the world has today is the same it’s always had, except there’s more people involved and the current economic system is collapsing under the strain. There are four classes of people in the world; The Greedy, The Conscientious Worker, The Lazy and The Physically Impaired, and I don’t know as it will ever change. The world debt is fixin’ to bring the curtain down on a poorly written play of tragedy and the rewrites, in an attempt to keep the play running, are even sadder. People are fed-up with the greed. A well known bank tried to milk more money from its customers by levying more nickel and dime fees on their services only to find out that their customers have been pushed far enough as they started pulling their money out of the bank and depositing with strictly regulated credit unions. Is it going to take an "Olly olly oxen free!” to save the world economy? Greece, the once world center of great thinkers and philosophers, looks to be the first to collapse economically and that could bring about four more countries down with it. No company or country can survive gross mismanagement and misappropriation of funds on a regular basis. It appears to me that the “new math” isn’t working so well.
A man approached his local banker seeking a $500 loan. When asked what he wanted the money for the man explained it was to pay for a trip to a distant city where he would sell some jewelry he had made. The banker wasn’t too sure about this so asked the man what sort of collateral he had. The man asked, “What’s collateral?” “It’s something of value that can cover the cost of the loan in case you’re unable to pay it back”, replied the banker. In conversation the banker found out the man only owned a 1949 Chevy pick-up, an old two bedroom house and a toothless horse. Reluctantly the banker approved the loan. Several weeks later the man entered the bank with a fist full of money to pay his loan. The banker noticed the man had a rather large sum of money still in his hand and asked, “What are you going to do with the rest of your money?” “Put it in my pocket”, replied the man. “Why don’t you deposit it in our bank?” asked the banker. After explaining what it meant to deposit his money in the bank, the man looked suspiciously at the banker and asked, “What do you have for collateral?”
[Leviticus 25] I don’t think I want to go so far as calling God a socialist, but if the world had adopted the thinking of God we probably wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in today. Because life is not all about worldly gain, God had in place a time of forgiveness and freedom from monetary problems. Every fifty years was a Year of Jubilee, (v10) “…each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan.” The chapter reveals a lot more in detail, but the idea was to go back to the basics of what was given them by God when they entered the Promised Land and be thankful for what God has done. People don’t trust and rely on God. Greed is king.

Pay Your Taxes

2011-10-30T00:11:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it’s almost the end of another year? Reality seems to set in when we find our tax bill in the mailbox. The tax statement is a funny thing. For two weeks everyone you meet asks, “Have you gotten your taxes yet?” When you answer, “No”, the inquirer adds, “I wonder what’s taking those people so long to get them in the mail?” In reality, the tax bill is never mailed out until the last full week of October and when it arrives, that same person who couldn’t wait to get their taxes in the mail confronts with, “Have you gotten your taxes yet? Those people are crazy! What do they do with all that money? They’re probably going to give themselves another raise! I think we need to vote them all out and start over!” Ninety-nine chances out of one hundred says that person doesn’t even know who “those people” are, let alone ever find the time to go vote on election day. This is also a great time of the year for procrastinators. The season has begun which involves so many activities it’s easy to set aside what needs to be accomplished to do what we want to do. This is the beginning of the season when it’s so easy to over indulge in self and forget to tend to obligations such as paying the utilities and the rent. The slogan for a repo company featured on TV is, “It ain’t no joke, if you don’t pay that note”. Don’t be like the politicians. If you’ve entered into an agreement to pay for services rendered, don’t spend that money somewhere else. The bill is still going to come due and you’re still going to have to pay
A couple of “good ol’ boys” decided to go on a REAL fishing trip. They rented all the equipment; the reels, the rods, the wading suits, the rowboat, the car and even a cabin in the woods next to a fishing stream. They spent a fortune! The first day out, they didn’t catch anything. The same thing happened on the second day and on the third. It continued like that until, finally, on their last day of vacation, one of them caught a fish. As they were driving home, they were really depressed. One guy turned to the other and said, “Do you realize that this one lousy fish cost us fifteen hundred dollars?” The other guy said, “Wow! It’s a good thing we didn’t catch any more!”
At the weekly meeting of a weight loss class, the instructor held up an apple and a candy bar. “What are the attributes of this apple” she asked, “and how do they relate to our diet?” “Low calories” and “Lots of fiber” were among the answers. She then detailed what was wrong with eating the candy and concluded, “Apples are not only more healthful but also less expensive. Do you know I paid seventy-five cents for this candy bar?” The group stared at the forbidden treat as she held it aloft. From the back of the room a small voice could be heard saying, “I’ll give you a dollar for it.”
[Romans 13] It seems there are times in life when we just keep hitting the snooze button on things we need to be doing but just don’t want to get started doing them. God’s Word teaches us to pay our debts. (v7) “…Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” God’s Word also teaches us that we need to stop procrastinating about the things we know we need to start doing. (v11) “…The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Stop worrying about the living comforts of the world or gratifying the sinful nature (v14) “…Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ”. Start today.

That'e My King

2011-10-23T01:10:00.000-05:00

The Libyan civil war seems to be winding down with the capture and assignation of Muammar Gaddafi this past week. The guns will be laid aside and the pen will be taken up as the battle to form a government of the people begins. I imagine the world will be looking on throughout the process, watching to see which worldly government format the Libyan’s will imitate or adapt. Power and greed are hard to overcome in this world and I hope the new leaders of Libya have learned if you live by the sword you will most likely die by the sword just as their former dictator has experienced.
[Isaiah 45] If only the world would adopt the Creator of the universe as their King. The following is only part of a sermon by the late Dr. S.M. Lockeridge in 1976.
“My King was born King. The Bible says he’s a Seven Way King. He’s the King of the Jews; that’s an Ethnic King. He’s the King of Israel; that’s a National King. He’s the King of righteousness, the King of the ages, the King of Heaven, the King of glory, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. That’s my King. Do you know my King? David said the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork. My King is the only one of whom there are no means of measure that can define his limitless love. No far seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of the shore of his supplies. No barriers can hinder him from pouring out his blessings. He’s enduringly strong, entirely sincere, eternally steadfast, immortally graceful, imperially powerful ands impartially merciful. That’s my King. He’s God’s Son, the sinner’s Savior and the centerpiece of civilization. He stands alone in himself. He’s honest, unique, unparalleled and unprecedented. He’s supreme, pre-eminent, the grandest idea in literature, the highest personality in philosophy and the supreme problem in higher criticism. He’s the fundamental doctrine of historic theology and the carnal necessity of spiritual religion. That’s my King. He’s the miracle of the age. He’s the superlative of everything good that you chose to call him. He’s the only one able to supply all our needs simultaneously. He supplies strength for the weak, he’s available for the tempted and the tried, he sympathizes and saves. He’s the Almighty God who guides and keeps all his people. He heals the sick, cleanses the leapers, forgives sinners, delivers the captives, defends the feeble, blesses the young, serves the unfortunate, regards the aged, rewards the diligent and beautifies the meek. That’s my King. My King is the King of knowledge, the wellspring of wisdom, the doorway of deliverance and the pathway of peace. He’s the roadway of righteousness, the highway of holiness and the gateway of glory. He’s the master of the mighty, the captain of conquers, the head of heroes, the leader of legislatures, the overseer of over comers, the governor of governors, the prince of princes, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. That’s my King. I wish I could describe him to you. His goodness is limitless, his mercy limitless, his love never changes and his word is enough. His grace is sufficient, his yoke is easy and his burden is light. He’s incomprehensible, invincible and irresistible. Heaven can’t contain him and man can’t explain him. You can’t get him out of your mind, get him off your hands, outlive him or live without him. He always has been and always will be. He has no predecessor and he’ll have no successor. You can’t impeach him and he’ll never resign. That’s my King. That’s my King!” Amen!

Resistance Is Futile

2011-10-15T22:31:00.001-05:00

Resistance is almost futile when it comes to wanting to climb aboard at least one of the bandwagons traveling around this country. One has a wide choice of politics or religion, environment or energy, drilling verses wind and solar, flu shot or no flu shot each of which have their radicals for and against, all with convincing arguments. Four years ago the American public listened to want-to-be president politicians promise change and unfortunately that’s what we got. Following our last presidential election things definitely went from bad to worse with nobody accepting responsibility and more heartbreaking, nobody seems to have a solution short of profiteering. We can’t even get a football or basketball game started in this country anymore without arguing over how many million dollars it’s going to take to blow the whistle. Well, it looks as though this presidential election is going to be controlled by the people. This go around the people are not looking for change, they are demanding change and I think the politicians are going to be very surprised at the outcome. 2012 is going to be radical.
Blessed are those that can give without remembering, and take without forgetting. One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut. After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, “I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.” The florist was pleased and left the shop. When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a 'Thank You' card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door. Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replied, “I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.” The cop was happy and left the shop. The next morning when the barber went to open up, there were a 'Thank You' card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door. Then a Congressman came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his bill, the barber again replied, “I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.” The Congressman was very happy and left the shop. The next morning, when the barber went to open up, there were a dozen Congressmen lined up waiting for a free haircut. And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between the citizens of our country and the politicians who run it.
By the way, think about this: 10 years ago we had Steve Jobs, Bob Hope and Johnny Cash. Today we have no Jobs, no Hope, and no Cash. (Thx Elaine)
[Psalm 145] “There is one body and one Spirit; …one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4: 4-6) To the dismay of a great many people, we don’t get to campaign and elect a new God every now and again and I for one am happy about that. The laws of the universe are in the firm grip of a dictator and there is no one greater to overthrow my God. He has no cabinet, no advisors nor any mistakes to correct. He cannot be reasoned with nor can he be lobbied to influence a change of mind. God has made the universe and in the fullness of time he will destroy it. Mankind is to serve God and one another in love. “Do unto others before they do unto you” is not what God had in mind. The message from God through Jesus is simple. We are selfish and rebellious against God and lost in our sins. Without hearing, believing, repenting, being baptized and living as instructed by God’s Word, we will not see God, period! God’s grace awaits those who love Him.

Stop The Downward Trend

2011-10-09T00:07:00.000-05:00

Did you ever dream you would see the “Wall” come down, or the “Towers” come down? The confidence level of the American people in their government, nationally and locally, throughout the country, is at an all time low. Did you ever dream you would see the day that the American public would demonstrate against corporate America, fed up with their greed and dishonesty? The world economy is coming down, slowly being crushed under the weight of its own paperwork. You wanted change? I’ll tell you right now, change is a comin’. The U.S. dollar used to be used as an honest exchange between parties for honorable means of gain. Today it seems there is less and less honor in the exchange as people are trying their best to accumulate all the dollars they can by hook or by crook. Is it possible corporate business is coming down a notch or two? Wall Street has made a lot of people very, very rich, but I see a weaning.
Maybe we should have listened to our country’s forefathers a little more closely. Maybe we should review what they had to say about preserving the Republic they established. For example, do you know who Benjamin Rush is? He is a signer of the “Declaration of Independence” from Pennsylvania. His biography is interesting and among his life’s accomplishments, he was a great physician. The following is one of his ideals. “Under this head, I must be excused in not agreeing with those modern writers who have opposed the use of the Bible as a schoolbook. The only objection I know to it is its division into chapters and verses and its improper punctuation which render it a more difficult book to read well than many others, but these defects may easily be corrected, and the disadvantages of them are not to be mentioned with the immense advantages of making children early and intimately acquainted with the means of acquiring happiness both here and hereafter. How great is the difference between making young people acquainted with the interesting and entertaining truths contained in the Bible, and the fables of Moore and Croxall, or the doubtful histories of antiquity! I maintain that there is no book of its size in the whole world that contains half so much useful knowledge for the government of states or the direction of the affairs of individuals as the Bible.” (Reference; www.schoolchoices.org/roo/rush.htm)
[Psalm 34] Today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders and personally that scares me. Now I know my father probably thought the same thing as did his father and his father before him, but I believe it to be a legitimate fear when it comes to the welfare of our country and the world. Why are our children turning away? Why are they turning away from responsible, honest, moral and spiritual living? Quit simply, as parents we are trying to mold our children in our image after God has sent them to us molded in his own image. God has plans for our children and whatever gifts they display we need to encourage that gift and display life as God would have us all to live (Ephesians 5 & 6). God is being evicted from the lives of our children by those who hate righteousness and by parents who allow the world to rule their life. Without God, the world will always be getting the best of us only to tell us our best isn’t good enough. How sad it is we live this way. Everyone asks, “So, where is God?” You find God the same way you find money, you seek it (Luke 12:22-34). Our children are a mess. Our country is a mess. The world is a mess. God wants to help clean up the mess. Invite Him in to help.

Can You "Like" God?

2011-10-01T23:02:00.000-05:00

Why hasn’t social networking been declared an epidemic pandemic natural disaster yet? A TV commercial of late shows a young woman in disgust with her baby-boomer parents thinking they are social hermits because they won’t get on line and hook up with some “friends”. While she’s expressing her disappointment in her parents the commercial scene shows her parents actually enjoying their social life with some other couples in the outdoors embracing nature and exercise. The scene returns to the young woman where she is using her laptop. She sarcastically states that her parents have gained five online friends and boasts that she has four hundred some odd. Then, while staring at the laptop screen, she exclaims, “This is living!” I think, NOT!
UK author Rob Clymo wrote this column entitled, “Is Technology Killing Us?” which appeared on MaximumSoftware.com. “We all love our gadgets and gizmos, but increasingly, it seems that research is suggesting that the electronic devices we use every day could actually be putting us at greater risk than we initially thought. For example, the world Health Organization has just placed mobile phones in the category ‘2B – possible carcinogenic to humans’, which means your beloved headset now sits along side pickled vegetables, printer ink and coffee when it comes to possible threats to your wellbeing. However, much of this is based around how much you use your phone. Certainly, the worrying headlines about contracting brain cancer might help to sell newspapers, but sensible use of a phone is, it seems, no riskier than enjoying your daily mug of caffeine. But that’s the thing with everything we do – ‘moderation in all things’ as they say. That’s not to say that technology does not have a debilitating effect on us, even if we’re using it in a sensible fashion. Let’s face it; we all spend hours in front of screens now, be they workstations, home computers, laptops, netbooks, tablets and smart phones – all are putting an increasing strain on our peepers.” Recent surveys have suggested that people are spending more time looking at screens than sleeping, and over sixty percent admitted they get withdrawal symptoms if they’re separated from their device for a period of time. An additional forty percent say they look for their mobile phone before doing anything else after waking up. A quarter said they did it within three minutes of rising from their slumber. Also, today’s children spend around half as much time looking at screens as they do being taught in school. And, with so many irresistible gadgets around us, the temptation to stare at a screen all day is becoming even stronger. The desire to own the latest gadget on the market is bringing people to do crazy things like spending their last dollar and selling body parts.
[1 Corinthians 6: 12 & 10: 23] Paul writes twice in the same letter; “Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything” and “Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive”. Alcohol, drugs, sex and “rock-n-roll” evidently weren’t mind controlling enough for the evil one. Satan is using the electronic age to turn billions of people away from God. Gossip, “the sharing of information”, is ruining lives. God has no web page nor is he on Facebook. You can’t “Like” him or have him as an electronic “friend”. You must seek God and study his Word. God loves you and has rewards waiting, in your name.

Thank God For The Rain

2011-09-24T23:15:00.000-05:00

Well, one day last week Mother Nature changed up her routine from hot and dry to cool and wet, for a few hours. Yes, that was rain! Though it turned out to be just a tease of a couple of inches of precipitation, lawns, trees and flower gardens greedily drank it up and within 24 hours began to show their glory in living color once again. Amazing what a little rain water can do for foliage and attitude alike. If you’re like me, I get tired of the same weather day after day and especially when it’s hot and dry what seems like forever. This “Diablo Summer”, as one local weatherman has called it, has and continues to cause a lot of problems across the countryside. Farming and ranching has suffered greatly and the end is no where in sight. Fires have consumed the vegetation on thousands of acres of land and cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to homes and other property. Dry, shifting, settling earth, is causing building foundation problems and is evident on the front page of our local newspaper this past week. It seems the weather has affected our 127 year-old county courthouse. A big ole crack on the outside and some noticeable problems on the inside of one corner of the building have brought about an evacuation of a portion of the courthouse until a high powered engineering firm can determine what’s going wrong and what to do about it. Originally built to standards that would enable it stand forever, I guess the warranty just ran out. I suppose a few million dollars down the road we’ll get a new warranty.
One night a wife found her husband standing over their baby’s crib. Silently, she watched him for a few minutes. As he stood looking down at the sleeping infant, she saw on his face a mixture of emotions. Touched by his unusual display, she slipped her arms around her husband, “A penny for your thoughts,” she whispered. “It’s amazing,” he replied. “I just can’t see how anybody can make a crib like this for only $64.95.
[Isaiah 51: 4-8] I am encouraged when I pull my local newspaper from the mailbox and read at the top of the front page, “Thank God for the rain”. There are some, and in increasing numbers I might add, that say it’s all in the cycle of nature that we do or don’t get rain and eventually it has to start raining again. The God of the Bible is a powerful God and if he sees it a fit time to cut off the rain from the country, that’s what’s gong to happen. If the lack of rain, or an abundance of tornadoes, or numerous floods, or earthquakes is what it takes to bring us to our knees in prayer and repentance then so be it. Look at it this way. If you continually crash automobiles, will your insurance company continue replacing them? If you constantly fail courses of learning will you graduate from high school or college? No! In fact somebody is going to come down hard on you for your actions and deny you the benefits you seek. If we continually sin and disobey the Creator, if we constantly insist on having our own way, how can we expect to reap the benefits promised by God? No foundation on this earth is strong enough to withstand time. All earthly things will crumble and disappear in time so why invest your life totally in earthly pleasures? I’m convinced of life after death and for my need to get to know God and obey him and his righteous ways. Jesus, the bedrock of truth and righteousness, is everlasting and the only foundation worthy for building an everlasting life upon. No matter what happens in this life I am already devoted to the next life, eternal life with my God who loves me and chastises me.

Repentance Intervention

2011-09-18T00:05:00.001-05:00

I took a few days off last week, joining my siblings and other family members for a little reunion. My elder sister organized it and for a change we got to enjoy one another in a different way than in the past ten years or so, as no one was sick nor were we about to bury a loved one. It seems my sister was always tending to logistics of the situation that brought us together and never had the time to relax and just be her self. Well, in a round-about way she suggested we leave our problems at home and come to enjoy a walk down memory lane as a family and friends. She had inherited all the stuff our parents had held dear to them, mostly photos, and as we went through them we even discovered things about the family we never knew. It was a great four days together and I enjoyed myself, except for one thing. You’d think at my age I would at least know to watch where I’m going, especially in a strange environment. While spending the afternoon at my nephew’s house, I was walking one way and looking another, and when I decided it was time to check my bearings, I turned to look and, WHAM! I walked straight into a spiral stairway bustin’ my head open. I did as good a job as any ten-year-old could and panic spread throughout the house like a wildfire. I had no intentions of sitting for hours in a Houston hospital ER waiting for stitches so talked my brother, a retired Navy Corpsman and civilian PA, into closing and patching the wound the best he could. Yeh, leave it up to me to liven up the party.
Leaving home was a little nerve racking as we’ve been experiencing a rash of burglaries in the area, but I left the homestead in the hands of the Lord, which worked out just fine. Everything was just as we left it, still no rain and the politicians are still out for themselves. One more of my predictions came to fruition. America’s Got Talent contestant, Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. won the top prize and well deserved it. “Silhouettes” came in second, but “iLuminated”, third place, was a much better presentation for me. Nevertheless, the show is nutty, goofy and great, just what the typical American family needs to be watching as an alternative to deceit, violence and spit in the Lord’s eye shows. I personally refuse to watch most of what’s on the four major networks. Pay TV was laughable in the ‘60’s, but soul saving in this present day.
[James 4: 13 - 5: 6] In the book, “Once Blind - The Life of John Newton” by Kay Marshall Storm, John perceived slave trading a sin and feared God’s wrath upon England because of it. His fight to abolish slave trading, standing on his own foundation of repentance and belief in God’s Word, John Newton had this warning for the Parliament of his day: “It is righteousness that exalts a nation, and wickedness is the present reproach, and will, sooner or later, unless repentance intervene, prove the ruin of any people.” We need to push the ACLU and like organizations attempting to abolish Christianity in this country aside, and instead of covering up references to God and Country in Washington and other capitals, we ought to be polishing them so they gleam in the eyes of our elected officials reminding them of how this country was born and who is truly maintaining her presence in the world. If no intervening of repentance is forthcoming, our grandchildren will not enjoy our freedoms. Our situation is not hopeless if put in the hands of God. “God saved me so that people would look at me and say, ‘If God could save John Newton, (your name?) He can save anyone.” Amen.

I Believe

2011-09-11T11:28:00.002-05:00

I'm taking a little vacation and havent written anything this week. Here's something I'd like to share with you. Get some tissues and find a quiet place to enjoy the next 5 minutes. www.andiesisle.com/creation/magnificent.html (Copy and Paste Link to your browser)

Clutter

2011-09-03T23:17:00.000-05:00

When I attended school, the year never started until the day after Labor Day. The week prior was devoted to at least one day at the New York State Fair and attending the modified stockcar race on Labor Day. The same evening was spent at a different racetrack for another big race, capping off another summer. Today I have no desire to travel on holiday weekends. There are just too many people trying to get somewhere as fast as they can and then return home in the same manner. I’m still totally amazed at our abilities as human beings when it comes to how we function in the chaos we call driving. When you seriously think about it, nearly all operators of powered vehicles are quit skilled at performing the act of transporting themselves from one place to another, without incident, numerous times a day, day after day. Accidents occur but seldom due to equipment malfunction. The root cause of accidents is operator error, mainly due to distraction, or the brain has been artificially enhanced with a substance foreign to the body, which impairs judgment and the ability to make quick decisions. Unfortunately, people are making poor decisions as they rocket around in their personal entertainment center on wheels. What ever happened to plain vanilla basic $5000 transportation?
It might be a good thing that NASA has to stand down for a period. It seems, according to Slate.com, the space junk whizzing around the earth in low orbit is posing a traffic problem. Tracking all this junk is really getting to be a problem. On February 10, 2009 the first accident in space was recorded. A derelict Russian communications satellite, Cosmos 2251, ran into a working American one, owned by the company Iridium. The collision totaled both satellites adding 2,000 more trackable pieces of space junk to the already 19,000 plus pieces being tracked in an attempt to avoid such collisions. A warning to Iridium by the US Air Force that the satellites were about to pass in close proximity was ignored and; crash! Well, here’s an entrepreneur’s dream in the making, Space Junk Collection and Disposal. This is a rather serious situation. Ground controllers are very concerned that one day a chain reaction of collisions will send thousands of pieces of junk out of control crashing into good satellites, destroying our entertainment and ruining our day. Decisions, decisions; oh what to do, what to do.
[John 4: 20-24] The “religious world” today is much cluttered with different practices and ideals which can cause ripples of mixed feelings about how God should be worshipped. I grew up, and participated, in a “Christian” denomination embroidered with pomp and circumstance, including a copy-cat European cathedral type building to the personal identifying costume worn by worship leaders. I don’t remember learning much about souls being saved or a personal relationship with God himself, but I did come away with a reverence for the One who created the universe. I believe. I want it to be perfectly clear; I’m not looking to collide with anyone. When I was introduced to the simple concept of worshipping God in spirit and truth, supported by His Word only, I breathed a sigh of relief and felt I had arrived home. Are you making a personal decision of returning to, or starting, to worship God? Do you think the best entertainment or a well known preacher is the best place for you? Worship is not a commodity. Don’t look for the place that will give you the biggest bang for your buck. Religion is all about getting to know God and his will for you. It’s quiet and serene.

Are You Stormy?

2011-08-27T23:23:00.000-05:00

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

2011-08-21T09:13:00.000-05:00

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

2011-08-13T23:00:00.000-05:00

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?

2011-08-07T00:17:00.000-05:00

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).

Snooze No More

2011-07-30T23:42:00.000-05:00

Do you watch “America’s Got Talent”? It’s a show I normally wouldn’t watch, but this go around I happen to catch the end of the first show of the season and the introduction of the carwash guy, Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., who sings with the voice of a 40’s crooner. You’ve got to be a baby-boomer to remember the radio playing in the kitchen and hearing Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra and others singing in crystal clear, seemingly effortless voice tones. Anyway, this carwash dude opened his mouth to sing and I had flash-backs of my childhood for an hour. I don’t watch the complete show, ever, because most of it is a totally ridiculous disappointment, but I’ve been trying my best to watch for this guy with the million dollar voice, because I believe he will win. Murphy had never auditioned or performed for a large audience before appearing on the talent show. He awed the judges as well as the full auditorium of people who witnessed the birth of a star. Landau took himself to a place of discomfort just to see if he really was any good and Howie Mandel guaranteed Landau his life was never going to be the same. Piers Morgan said, “…you are standing there crying because you didn’t know how good you were and now you do”. Murphy said he never expected to be received and loved by the audience in this way.
The kind-hearted hostess of an amateur musical spied a lonely-looking little man huddled in a corner of the room and paused to make conversation. “Tell me”, she asked, “do you play any musical instrument?” “Not away from home”, the little man replied. “How peculiar”, remarked the hostess. “What instrument do you play at home?” she inquired. The man replied, “Second fiddle.”
The young man who was to make his first public speech came to the podium and murmured: “My-mm-my f-f-friends, on the way to the banquet only God and I knew what I was going to say to you …and since I’ve misplaced my speech papers, now only God knows what it is I was going to say.”
The older preacher told the younger preacher that if he ever forgot the words of the marriage ceremony to start quoting scripture until he remembered. Sure enough, at the next wedding ceremony, the young man forgot. Sadly, the only scripture he could remember at the time was, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
[Hebrews 12: 14-29] I know it wasn’t the first time that Landau Murphy had sung before an audience, but it was the first time he laid it all on the line to experience a life changing event. He really didn’t know what he had to offer the world until he displayed it. His life will never be the same again. Are you still hitting the snooze button on your talents? Are you still hitting the snooze button when it comes to returning your talents to God? This is a rather difficult subject to subject people to. I have to tell you, I’ve never been happier in my life than when I turned my life over to Jesus and began using my talents to the glory of God. I discovered that no one in this world can offer me what heaven can. I discovered I can’t get to heaven or receive the blessings of heaven without the church and the Holy Spirit of God. Was I nervous to present myself before God and the church? Sure! How will I be received? Are my talents worthy of God and the church? I left worldly things behind and laid my life on the line, seeking forgiveness and a better lifestyle. I’ve been given it all in abundance.

Share In Prayer

2011-07-24T00:06:00.000-05:00

How hot and dry is it in Texas? A guy in Longview claims he killed a mosquito that was carrying a canteen. A man in Lubbock said the farmers had their chickens sitting on crushed ice to keep them from laying hard-boiled eggs. In Lake Palestine, a fellow caught a 20 lb catfish covered with ticks! Just this week, in Bryan, a fire hydrant was seen bribing a dog. It's so dry in Texas, Baptists are starting to baptize by sprinkling, Methodists are using wet-wipes, Presbyterians are giving out rain-checks, and the Catholics are praying for the wine to turn back into water. It will rain again, right?
Here’s something to think about. A young woman was about to finish her first year of college. Like so many her age, she considered herself to be an enlightened liberal, very much in favor of higher taxes to support more government programs, in other words, redistribution of wealth. She was deeply ashamed that her father was a staunch conservative. Based on the lectures and the occasional chat with a professor, she felt that her father had for years harbored an evil, selfish desire, to keep what he thought should be his. One day she was challenging her father on his opposition to higher taxes on the rich and the need for more government programs. The self-professed objectivity proclaimed by her professors had to be the truth and she indicated so to her father. He responded by asking how she was doing in school. Taken aback, she answered rather haughtily that she had a 4.0 GPA, and let him know that it was tough to maintain, insisting that she was taking a very difficult course load and was constantly studying, which left her no time to go out and party like other people she knew. She didn't even have time for a boyfriend, and didn't really have many college friends because she spent all her time studying. Her father listened and then asked, "How is your friend Audrey doing?" She replied, "Audrey is barely getting by. All she takes are easy classes, she never studies and she barely has a 2.0 GPA. She is so popular on campus; college for her is a blast. She's always invited to all the parties and lots of times she doesn't even show up for classes because she's too hung over." Her wise father asked his daughter, "Why don't you go to the Dean's office and ask him to deduct 1.0 off your GPA and give it to your friend who only has a 2.0. That way you will both have a 3.0 GPA and certainly that would be a fair and equal distribution of GPA." The daughter, visibly shocked by her father's suggestion, angrily fired back, "That's a crazy idea! How would that be fair! I've worked really hard for my grades! I've invested a lot of time, and a lot of hard work! Audrey has done next to nothing toward her degree. She played while I worked my tail off!" The father slowly smiled, winked and said gently, "Welcome to the conservative side of the fence."
[1 Timothy 2:1-4 & Romans 13] Has the heat brought you to your knees? Has the drought brought you to your knees? Has the decadence in Washington brought you to your knees? How about the economic problems facing us all? If not, I suggest you get on your knees and pray. Do you want a better economy? Don’t wait on Washington, pray. Do you want better representatives in government? Don’t let someone else choose them. Pray for God to choose them. Are you tired of gangs and drugs and crime in your neighborhood? Pray them out of existence. It’s obvious we can’t do it right without Supreme guidance. Our forefathers knew it, now we’re learning all about it.

Corn Mileage

2011-07-16T23:24:00.000-05:00

I don’t work the automotive scene any longer, but I do understand what the manufacture is going through trying to keep up with government regulations. Things just don’t make sense anymore. For instance, gas mileage is a must these days. Since 1970 when gas was $.20 a gallon, until now, we have seen gas guzzling mandates added to our vehicles such as EGR valves, catalytic converters, revamped A/C systems that need more horsepower (by the way, the auto A/C system is being completely revamped again and it will need even more horsepower to operate it) and if all this is wasn’t enough to hold gas mileage down we now have to put up with corn ethanol which lowers you mileage average even more. And why does gas keep going up? It costs a fortune to produce ethanol! It also produces more pollutants in production than it eliminates burning in your engine. They say we’re running out of petroleum. So why keep developing products that make us use more gas? The Environmental Protection Agency is as much out of control as the rest of our government. We should have been developing electric vehicles over thirty years ago. Today we would all be driving one.
One day while his class was in the lab, the chemistry professor noticed one young man, an exchange student, repeatedly rubbing his back and stretching as if his back was really hurting him. The Prof asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country’s government and install a new communist regime. In the midst of his story he asked the professor a strange question, “Do you know how to catch wild pigs?” The Prof thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said it was no joke. “You catch them by finding a suitable place in the wild and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and start coming everyday to eat the free corn. Then you put a fence up along one side of the place and keep the corn coming. Then when the pigs are used to the short fence, add another side and so on until all four sides are fenced and the pigs are coming through a gate at one end of the place to eat free corn. Then, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd. Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They discover they are caught and start running around inside the fence looking for a way out. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it they have forgotten how to forage for themselves, so they accept their captivity.” The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening in America. I’ll let you figure out where the free corn is, and the legislative walls that are going up all around.
[Matthew 11: 28-30] I’m so glad that my God is not working on ulterior motives to frustrate me even more than life itself. I know exactly what to expect at the end of this life because through His Word, Jesus and the Bible, I can read and understand what my God expects of me in this life and how to prepare myself for the kind of life I want to experience after death. Jesus says I can learn from him and I can understand and above all I can remember what He teaches. That’s the same for everyone. The rules and qualifications for salvation are the same for everybody and they will never change over time. I don’t know how many more miles I have to travel in this life, but I do know my mileage continues to increase as I continue to clean up my life and live in His way.

America, An Object of Ridicule?

2011-07-10T09:16:00.001-05:00

I think we all have something in our life that irritates us to no end. For some people it’s other drivers on the road. For some it’s standing in long lines that don’t seem to move very fast. Maybe what lights the fire under your pressure cooker is whining, misbehaving children sitting at the table next to yours in a restaurant. Isn’t it funny the things you think when your frustration level peaks? Malfunctioning mechanical things that I use all the time, but can’t fix, are my near breaking point. I love to fix things as to replace them, but in this modern throw-away-world it’s getting harder and harder for an honest tinkerer to find any satisfaction in his work. At the moment I’m dealing with the horizontal hold on my man cave TV. I’ve gotten tired of hitting the side of the set with my hand and have moved on to hitting the sweet spot with a chunk of petrified wood, normally used as a paper-weight. It’s getting harder to persuade the reluctant circuit board to straighten up and perform as designed by sending a mini earthquake shock through it with the paperweight. Love-taps have turned into multiple hammering on the idiot box until the picture fills the screen again. I hope I don’t do what I dream of doing before our new Wal-Mart opens. Patience will be rewarded with an upgrade.
Another thing that tends to boil my pot is the nonchalant handling of money and the miss-management of finances. Customer: “Hey! You gave me the wrong change.” Cashier: “Sir, you stepped away from the counter. There’s nothing I can do about it now.” Customer: “I just thought you might like to know you gave me twenty dollars too much, but I guess there’s nothing we can do about it now.”
Two fellows opened a butcher shop and prospered. An evangelist came through town and one of the two butchers was converted. The now obedient Christian butcher tried desperately to convert the other, but to no avail. He asked, “Why won’t you, Charlie?” The reply was... “Listen Lester, if I get religion too, who’s going to weigh the meat?”
A Sunday school teacher was teaching her class about the differences between right and wrong. “All right children, let’s take another example”, she said. “If I were to get into a man’s pocket and take his billfold with all his money without him knowing, what would I be?” With confidence, little Johnny immediately shouted, “You’d be his wife!”
[Psalm 9; Psalm 33] The exterminator called one of his clients; “I’m very sorry to tell you this, Mrs. Lee, but your check just came back, insufficient funds.” “I guess we’re even then”, she replied. “So did those ants you promised me you had driven out of my house forever.” The morals of this country are deteriorating by the generation and it’s not due to lack of resources. Our education system is failing to instill proper moral and ethic deductive reasoning into the minds of the young people who will one day own this country. The omission of the Christian religion and the teaching of God’s Word in basic education has brought US to the brink of bankruptcy and world-wide shame. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot [America] from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this [Washington] I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples” (2 Chronicles 7:19-20) Is this truly the America you want your grandchildren to live in?

Don't Alter The Bible To Fit

2011-07-03T21:29:00.000-05:00

A few years back the buzzword was change and we’ve certainly seen a lot of that over the past two years. I got to thinking about what my mother’s father would think about the world today. Unlike my father and his father, I think Grandpa Taylor would have embraced all the new gadgets and would be having fun with life. In his lifetime, he saw several wars, lived through the great depression, saw the automobile go from a luxury to a necessity along with electricity, indoor plumbing and the telephone. It’s amazing, the things we have allowed into our lives as novelties only to let them get so involved our daily activities that they have become necessities of life. Computers, cell phones, i-pads, i-pods, smart phones, apps, GPS systems and a host of other devises are all involved so deeply in our lives we can’t imagine trying to function without them. Some people seem to have the notion that the good old days were simple and romantic when in reality they were hard work. Today, the average worker probably gets ten times more work done, daily, and more efficiently, than the worker of 1900 did. Altogether, in 2011, with all our super helpers, we’re more disconnected to one another and more fatigued than our grandparents ever were. It seems we’ve become world oriented at age three.
Coming through the door one day after school, little Johnny hollers out, “Okay everyone in this house, please stand advised that I, little Johnny Elvis Smith, has made a complete fool of myself in class by repeating stories concerning storks, as told to me by certain parties residing in this house!” You can’t hide things from kids anymore.
“My wife and I were walking down the street the other day”, a man was telling his friend, “and when we came to a mud puddle I didn’t carry her across.” “What did she say to that?” asked the friend. “She said I wasn’t as gallant as I was when she was a girl. I told her she wasn’t as buoyant as she was when I was a boy.”
There was a time when we rallied around the thought of “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death”. However, America grew to be the greatest nation on the planet with an unbeatable military force and we boasted, “Give Me Liberty”. Today Americans are so spoiled the consensus has become, “Give Me!” To quote Maynard G. Krebs: “WORK!?”
[Judges 2:10] “After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.” The current occupant of the oval office patronizes Bible believers: “Give up your worn arguments and old attitudes”. Maybe we should start with updating the Bible. “After the World War 2 generation had been gathered to their fathers, the baby boomer generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for America.” Scripture is being distorted to promote a radical, anti-family agenda, while treating those who refuse to compromise God’s word with rank condescension. Times have changed, and in the names of “progress” and “tolerance”, some want to cast the Bible aside as dated and passé. However, we will do so at our own peril. We must hold fast to God’s word. We must extoll biblical morality and respect the Bible’s moral code as essential to the well-being of our republic. Is the Bible old? Yes. Out dated? Never! Nations rise and fall, and politicians come and go, “…but the word of the Lord stands forever”. (1 Peter 1: 25)

Things Could Be Worse

2011-06-25T22:37:00.000-05:00

What a surprise to wake up the other morning to the sounds of thunder and falling rain. It actually felt great to feel raindrops on my head as I walked from the house to the car on my way to coffee. Most of the area reported receiving one and one half to two and one quarter inches of rain which lowers our deficit to fourteen inches for the year. But, who’s complaining. I mean, we’re not on fire nor are we under water, so compared to the rest of the country, we’re in pretty good shape, don’t you think? Come on, stop complaining and crying about no fireworks sales or displays this year for our country’s 235th birthday. And we’re not alone. Most of the State of Texas won’t be having any fireworks displays this year. There’ll be more 4th of July’s and maybe next year the show will be twice as big. I guess we’ll have to settle for watching someone else’s fireworks on the television. Once again, remember, things could be worse.
While walking down the street one day a US senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance. “Welcome to heaven”, says Peter. “Before you settle in, it seems there’s a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we’re not sure what to do with you.” “No problem, just let me in”, says the senator. “Well, I’d like to”, says Peter, “but I have orders from higher up. What we’ll do is have you spend one day in hell and one day in heaven. Then you can chose where you want to spend eternity.” And with that, Peter escorts the senator to an elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance he can see a clubhouse with all his friends and other politicians he had worked with. Everyone is happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people. They play a round of golf and have a big extravagant dinner. The devil was there, a real friendly guy who was dancing and telling funny stories. Time was up and everyone gives him a hearty farewell. The elevator goes up, up, up to heaven. There he spends a day hanging out with a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and before he knows it, time is up. Peter meets with the senator. “Well what will it be senator, heaven or hell?” The senator decided he liked hell much better, so Peter puts him in the elevator. Down, down, down he goes to hell. The doors open and he’s in a barren land covered with garbage. He sees his friends, dressed in rags, picking up trash and putting it into black bags. The devil greets him whereupon he protests about the change, “What has happened between yesterday and today?” The devil looks at him, smiles and says, “Yesterday we were campaigning. Today you voted.” Are you ready for campaign 2012?
[Psalm 33] “…From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth …No king is saved by the size of his army …But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those who hope on his unfailing love …” No matter how big and strong this country becomes, if our politics and politicians don’t get right with God, soon, this country is going to run out of birthdays. Don’t, for a moment, think we can ever be stronger than the God who made US, for he can also destroy US whenever he finally gets tired of our disobedience.

Obedience and Respect

2011-06-18T23:19:00.000-05:00

I’m getting old enough to see another generation taking charge of the world and running it as they deem to be correct. I guess I see the same things my forefathers have seen before me and as they probably did, I have a tendency to reflect on the not so good job I did raising children. I wish I had been mature enough to have done this or that a little different, and if I had, maybe this world wouldn’t be in the confused state it displays today. Don’t get me wrong here. I’m proud of my children and delighted with the attitude they have in raising their children. But, way too often I see neglect on the part of the father image all children want and need. It’s a basic instinct to want and need direction and discipline as a child gropes to find his or her place in the world. There has to be that safe stable place to go to for guidance and example, which, unfortunately, is missing in so many lives of young people today. I don’t guess there’s a father out there who feels he got it totally right when he looks back on how he raised his children, but I’ll bet he and grandma have good advise on how to raise their grand-children. Oops, didn’t mean to step on any toes. Advise wisely, but don’t demand.
I think the all time greatest story about the influence of a father has to do with adolescent elephants. In an effort to save the species, researchers were proud of the fact that they had raised many African elephants from birth to adolescent age. A problem of over-crowding arose in one preserve to a point of having to move several teenage bull elephants to another location. Little did those who ordered the transfer understand what would happen. In the new area, gradually, the teen elephants became unruly. They even formed gangs, throwing large tree branches around and killing rhinoceroses. The managers of the preserve began to take pictures and keep a “rap sheet” on offenders. Because they had no correction facilities for the juvenile delinquents, many of them had to be shot and killed. Finally, those in charge decided these young bull elephants didn’t know how to behave as elephants. They needed roll models and father figures; someone who would bring them under control. Some big mature bull elephants were shipped in and immediately the youngsters learned who was in control. The teens got whipped into shape in hurry, and the killing of rhinoceroses ceased. It’s funny what a little adult supervision can do. Where have all the fathers gone?
[Proverbs 29: 15] “The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.” A man was asked what he got for Father’s Day and he replied, “The bills from Mother’s Day!” Ouch! Well, what a father really wants is obedience and respect, and the Bible teaches, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother; which is the first commandment with a promise; that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth” (Ephesians 6:1-3). The Bible also teaches, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children, instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). Fathers, how do you gain obedience and respect from your children? Show obedience and respect. When faced with all the ideals of the world Joshua said, “…if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, …But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). God loves a loving father and His wisdom as the Father of all is available for fathers raising great children.

God, Help US

2011-06-11T23:13:00.000-05:00

Most everyone I know is having some sort of trouble during this prolonged time of economic stress. Slow-downs, lay-offs and no pay raises seem to be the normal practice of most employers. No intention of blame or misconduct from me as I know employers have to shell out more and more money just to have employees, but that’s another subject all together. The price of everything is going up with little to no increase in income. It doesn’t take a PhD to see what the future holds. The buying power of the dollar is shrinking and people of low or fixed income are slipping into poverty at an alarming rate. Well, to cut to the chase, it’s time for each and every one of us to step up to the plate and pinch-hit for someone else. I was able to knock one out of the ball-park for someone this past week and I have to admit it felt good. I hadn’t worked on someone else’s car in a long time, but for a friend and brother in Christ, I couldn’t refuse. The problem with the car’s engine was easy to troubleshoot and rather inexpensive compared to most repairs these days, but very time consuming to repair. All said and done, the car still isn’t perfect, but it’s a lot more reliable and will definitely burn less gas per mile than before the fix. In the back of my mind I shuttered when I said I would look at his car. I couldn’t see where the time would come from to help him out, but low and behold, my great God was there to help all the way.
You know I love the Sunday comics. I find so much truth in them they’re about the only section of the paper I tend to fully believe. A couple of weeks back I loved the strip, Prickly City by Scott Stantis, which features a girl named Carmen and a dog named Winslow. They live in the desert and most of the scenes consist of nothing but rocks and sand and sometimes nothingness. Carmen has wild mood swings and Winslow seems to always be wanting to help Carmen feel better about herself, that is, when he’s not seeking God in some way. This particular strip illustrated that helping hand I was talking about and how good it makes the recipient feel, which a lot of us may not realize and it may be the only payment we receive for our help. With a deeply depressed look Carmen says, “I feel small; The world is in a tumble; Everything is in a flux; Nothing is certain; It makes me rudderless and diminished.” Winslow pops in and says, with a big grin, “I’ll let you get on my shoulders, Carmen. Then I can carry you for a piece.” Atop Winslow’s shoulders, a smiling Carmen says, “I feel big!”
[Job 5: 8-27] Three friends sat with Job sharing in his suffering for seven days and nights without saying a word (Job 2:11-13). Job speaks a very depressed lament (Chap. 3), to which one of his friends, Eliphaz, replies (Chaps. 4 &5). Just touching the surface of the scripture’s meaning, look at Eliphaz’s advise to Job concerning his situation. “But if it were I, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted (Job 5:8-9). American’s are crying out for relief. I applaud Texas Governor Rick Perry and his call for a day of fasting and prayer to the God of this great nation this August 6th. Sean Faircloth, executive director of The Secular Coalition of America says, "The last thing our officials should do in times of national struggle is promote a divisive religious event that proposes no real solutions to our country's real-world problems." Asking God to lift US up is the first thing we should do! Let’s get on God’s shoulders.

One Honorable Statesman

2011-06-04T23:18:00.000-05:00

Where are all the servants we continually place in office to represent our thoughts and ideals? Why are they not listening to us? Six months ago the word out of Washington was that things were getting better and by mid-year the economy would show great improvements. So, of course, the first thing to do is go crazy speculating on oil to get this new money coming down the pipe, which increases the price of fuel yet try to believe that it won’t effect the projected economic growth. And, as long as your pockets are full of money, this is true. Well, here it is June and guess what? The economy has slipped, and low and behold, our leaders think it might have something to do with the increase in the cost of petroleum products. You Think!? Nothing escapes the increase cost of petroleum. Everybody has to pay for fuel over and over again. You not only have to fill your own gas tank, but you also have to share in filling the fuel tank of every truck on the highway. Every plastic product goes up in price. Medicines go up in cost. Food goes up in cost. Everything costs more because of the increased price of a barrel of oil. Speculative greed is the culprit and the economy will continue to stumble as long as this goes on. A man named Dalton Key wrote in an editorial a description of politics. “Politics has been described as the art of taking money from the rich and votes from the poor while promising to protect each from the other. With respect to government, political matters are fast becoming partisan, self-serving and in many cases corrupt. Many of us would gladly agree to trade one-thousand questionable politicians for just one honorable statesman.” I have a feeling that description was written a long time ago because it has come to fruition.
It doesn’t seem like anybody pursues wisdom anymore. It is power over others, that’s on the mind of most people. A rookie police officer was out for his first ride in a cruiser with an experienced partner. A call came in to disperse some people who were loitering. The officers drove to the street and observed a small crowd standing on the corner. The rookie rolled down his window and said, “Let’s get off the corner people.” He received a few glances, but no-one moved. So he barked, “Let’s get off the corner…NOW!” Intimidated, the group began to leave, casting puzzled stares in his direction. Proud of his first official act, the rookie turned to his partner and asked, “Well, how did I do?” “Pretty good”, chuckled the vet, “you cleared a bus stop.”
[Mark 10: 35-45] I can’t help but believe that the founding fathers of this great nation were attempting to form a government that was truly made of servants to the people. Time has diluted their intents as God is continually pushed aside by the people and government has become a big business, not serving the people, but becoming a service to the people. The smallest forms of government are lording their power over the people because the next higher up form is lording their power over them and so on all the way to the top. Jesus said His kingdom will not be organized in that way. He said, “…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Can you imagine those in power of the world governments giving their all as servants to their citizens? I bet that without power we’d have a hard time finding just one honorable statesman.

Knock - Knock

2011-05-28T23:44:00.002-05:00

I’m definitely an amateur when it comes to social work. It seems irrational to say for I find myself in the midst of mild to tragic situations of life on a regular base. When my office phone or doorbell rings, very often it’s a stranger looking for help in some sort of way. All too often though, I can’t help them solve their dilemma, but I can generally steer them in a good direction to find the help they’re seeking. I can’t help but pour my heart into prayer for those who are dealing with all the victims of the Spring weather across the country. I deal with food and prescription meds and maybe helping with a water bill or two, but how does one deal with hundreds of families who have lost everything in a matter of minutes? They woke up one morning in the midst of all their possessions, comfortable and content, only to find they had no place to rest at the end of the day. I see the need, yet I rationalize my affordable donation won’t help much, my skepticism convinces me my donation will never reach those who need it and my self-preservation whispers to me I should hang on to my donation for I may be the one in need tomorrow. What an overwhelming web of uncertainty we live in.
A man and his wife are in bed when there is knocking on the door. He rolls over and looks at the clock – 3:30 a.m. I’m not getting out of bed at this time he thinks, and rolls over. Then, there was a louder knock. “Aren’t you going to see who it is?” asked his wife. So, he gets dressed, drags himself to the door, finding a man quietly standing there. It doesn’t take long to figure out the man is drunk. “Hi, there”, slurs the stranger. “Can you give me a push?” “No! Get lost! It’s half past three and I’m in bed!” says the man and slams the door. He goes back to bed and tells his wife what happened. “That wasn’t very nice of you”, said the wife. “Remember the rainy night we broke down with a carload of kids and you had to knock on a stranger’s door for help? What would have happened if he told us to get lost?” “But the guy is drunk!” says the husband. “It doesn’t matter”, says the wife. “He needs our help and it would be the Christian thing to help him the best we can.” So the man gets out of bed again and gets dressed to go help the stranger. He opens the door and not being able to see the man in need he shouts, “Hey! Do you still need a push?” From somewhere in the night darkness he hears, “Yes, please!” The man looks around and not seeing the stranger shouts, “Where are you?” A voice returned from the darkness, “I’m over here, on your swing.”
[Revelation 3:19-20] Jesus tells a story of a man awaken by a knock on the door (Luke 11:5-8). It was a friend looking for bread to feed another friend who has stopped by while on a journey. “…I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is a friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.” It does take boldness to ask when you’ve never had to ask for help before. I’ve had to do it, and it hurts. Do we have a problem with God because we lack boldness? Physically we are willing to do whatever it takes to get what we want or need. Spiritually we seem timid and lost as what to do (James 4:1-3). John says that we can approach God with confidence, knowing that what we ask for is heard by God and he will answer (1 John 5:14-15). A stranger may slam the door in your face, but a friend will always do what he can. Are you a friend of God? Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.” Invite Him in. Get to know Him. He wants to help in your time of need.

The End? When?

2011-05-21T23:54:00.000-05:00

If you’re reading this article I guess you already know the world has not come to an end, but then again, if you’ve witnessed the “rapture” of the church and you’ve been left behind, good luck. In case you missed it, Harold Camping had once again predicted the end of the Christian age to occur yesterday, May 21, 2011, the same as he predicted it to happen in September of 1994. He admits a slight miscalculation in his last prediction. I have no doubt that as I write today that Mr. Camping is going to miss the mark again. Of course, if he should get lucky, I wonder who’s going to pat him on the back and honor his success. I feel if someone is going to use the Word of God to preach and predict from, they ought to at least read the book first. Well, maybe I’m being harsh and insensitive again. To be politically correct I should allow Mr. Camping the right to disregard any part of the Bible he deems obscure and irrelevant. Has he erased Matthew 24:36? There’s a Greek word for the message Mr. Camping and others like him are delivering – “hogwash”. I think a different approach to life and living is more favorable to God. Be prepared, for we don’t know the hour of our Lord’s return.
A boy was watching his father, a preacher, as he wrote a sermon. “How do you know what to say?” he asked. “Why, God tells me”, answered his father. “Oh”, the boy said with a puzzled look. “Then why do you keep crossing things out?”
A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six-year-olds. After explaining the commandment to “honor thy father and thy mother” she asked, “Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?” Without missing a beat one little boy answered, “Thou shall not kill!”
There once was a farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won a blue ribbon. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew his corn. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors. “How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” asked the reporter. “Why sir”, said the farmer, “didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.” The farmer is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve if his neighbor’s corn does not improve.
[Proverbs 11: 24-25] So it is with our lives. Those who chose to live in peace must help their neighbors to live in peace. Those who chose to live well must help others to live well, for the value of life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who chose to be happy must help others to find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all. The lesson for each of us is this: If we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbor grow good corn. It is possible to give away and become richer! It is also possible to hold on too tightly and lose everything. Yes, the liberal man shall be rich! By watering others, he waters himself. God’s love will cost you everything, but the trickle down effect for being obedient to his word is happiness. I’m not worrying about when the end will come; I’m prepared; waiting on the Lord.

A Mother's Love

2011-05-07T23:44:00.000-05:00

“A Mother’s Love Is A Haven In The Storm Of Life” by Helen Steiner Rice. “A mother’s love is like an island, in life’s ocean vast and wide; A peaceful quiet shelter from the restless, rising tide. A mother’s love is like a fortress, and we seek protection there; When the waves of tribulation, seem to drown us to despair. A mother’s love is a sanctuary, where our souls can find sweet rest; From the struggle and the tension, of life’s fast and futile quest. A mother’s love is like a tower, rising far above the crowd; And her smile is like the sunshine, breaking through a threatening cloud. A mother’s love is like a beacon, burning bright with faith and prayer; And through the changing scenes of life, we can find a haven there. For a mother’s life is fashioned, after God’s enduring love; It is endless and unfailing, like the love of Him above.”
Our concept of our mother took dramatic changes over the years. How surprised we were when we discovered that she once was a little girl with a mother of her own. What a surprise to know “mom” actually had a first name. We began to understand the family tree when we found out her last name used to be the same as one of your grandparents, after we discovered they actually had names of their own. Can you remember that age when discovery actually brought about confusion that made perfect sense in your mind only to find out later nothing makes sense? Yeah, second grade.
Some second graders were asked questions about their mothers. Here are some of the best answers. Q: Why did God make mothers? A: “She’s the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.” Q: How did God make mothers? A: “God made my mom just the same as he made me – just with bigger parts.” Q: What ingredients are mothers made of? A: “God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world, and one dab of mean.” Q: What kind of little girl was your mom? A: “I don’t know because I wasn’t there, but my guess would be, pretty bossy.” Q: Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom? A: “We’re related.” Q: What did your mom need to know about your dad before she married him? A: “Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?” Q: Why did your mom marry your dad? A: “My grandma says my mom didn’t have her thinking cap on.” Q: Who’s the boss in your house? A: “Mom doesn’t want to be boss, but she has to because dad’s such a goof ball.” Q: What’s the difference between moms and dads? A: “Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.” Q: If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be? A: “I’d like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes in the back of her head.” Q: What would it take to make your mom perfect? A: “Diet. You know; her hair. I’d diet; maybe blue.” Q: What does your mom do in her spare time? A: “To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.”
[Proverbs 31: 10-31] These passages are often used to praise a woman as a wife and mother. Of course, as one reads these lines of prose, one soon discovers this perfect woman would be very hard to find. She is a wife and a mother, but I suspect she has many servants and employs many workers. Nevertheless, she is Godly, as I believe her husband is also. They could very well be the “Ozzie and Harriet” of the Old Testament. All mothers are super special in the heart of God and I contend that mothers have a special spiritual bond with God that men lack. Bless and thank God for our mothers.

Death and Life Combined

2011-04-23T23:44:00.000-05:00

I looked about this morning in total amazement at the wonders of this world. Birds are chirping and busy finishing nests to the specifications of the one who will lay eggs and sit in the nest protecting her offspring. Squirrels are busy running around doing what squirrels do. Bees are buzzing around any flower they can find and are busy pollinating my neighbors’ vegetable garden. I curiously traced an ant trail for about twenty-five feet, looking like a crowded rush hour freeway with hundreds of ants traveling both ways, not finding a beginning or final destination point. I’ve noticed small holes dug in my yard, the evidence a possum has left behind digging for grubs and whatever else they dig up for food. I know one thing for sure. They will all be desperately looking for water before long. It hasn’t rained enough to talk about in this area for more than eight or nine months, yet the grass is growing and the trees have redressed themselves with leaves. Unfortunately, we all know what’s coming in the not too distant future, summer. With burn bands and water restrictions already in place, without rain, and a lot of it soon, things are fixin’ to dry up and wilt. The wildlife is also going to suffer. Chlorinated city water just can’t do the job properly. Pray for rain. Then pray again. I don’t want those pesky ants in my house looking for water.
The minister asked the little girl, “Do you know what’s in the Bible?” “Yes”, she responded. “I think I know everything that is in it.” Surprised, the minister said, “That’s a pretty big claim for someone your size. Go ahead and tell me.” The little girl started out, “Well… let’s see… there’s a picture of my brother’s girlfriend, a ticket from the dry cleaners, one of my curls and a Pizza Hut coupon.”
A four-year-old was at the pediatrician for a check-up. As the doctor looked in her ear he asked, “Do you think I’ll find Big Bird in here?” The little girl stayed silent. Next the doctor took a tongue depressor and looked down her throat. “Do you think I’ll find the Cookie Monster down here?” Again the little girl was silent. Then the doctor put the stethoscope on her chest. As he listened to her heartbeat he asked, “Do you think I’ll hear Barney in here?” “Oh no!” the girl replied. “That will never happen! Jesus is in my heart, Barney is on my socks!”
[1 Corinthians 15: 50-58] Do you truly know what’s in the Bible? Is Jesus in your heart? Does your hope rest in the resurrection or are you afraid of death? Jesus went to the cross to fulfill God’s will to redeem man from his sins. In the garden, as he prayed, Jesus asked if it were possible there be another way, but he also knew, for the new covenant of reconciliation for man and God to be enforced, a blood sacrifice had to be made. Jesus was that sacrifice. His love for you and I brought forth death and life at the same time. Jesus’ blood washed away the sins of the world and His resurrection to life has opened the way for sinners to be with God forever. I, like Jesus, don’t especially look forward to my time of death, but I’m not afraid, for He has proven to me there’s more to come. My hope of glory rests in His resurrection. Like the farmer, who plants dead seed, and patiently waits for the soil to yield it’s valuable crop (James 5:7), I rest in the fact that I have died to sin, through baptism, and patiently await the coming of my Lord when I will be clothed with immortality to live with God eternally. I pray you will thirst after righteousness and seek God before it is everlastingly too late. (James 3)

Appomattox Courthouse

2011-04-17T14:37:00.000-05:00

Most of the commercials on TV have always dealt with our sense of vanity and our appearance in the presence of others. We have to drive the right vehicle and wear the most recent, fashion correct, clothing. We don’t seem to fit in if our waist line is a little larger than others or we have a little less hair than everyone else. Heaven forbid if we don’t smell right or display a few wrinkles here and there. And if you don’t know exactly how to correct all your flaws, simply, “ask your doctor”, who probably can prescribe a pill you can take. We are so self conscience and spoiled in this country even our leaders and representatives in government can’t tell the difference between wants and needs, image and thrift. Our blatant waste of money is about to take US down and it doesn’t seem like we can get our vanity out from in front of our eyes to see it coming. I think our rags to riches greedy society is about to return to rags again.
A woman went to the police station, with her next-door neighbor in tow, to report her husband missing. The policeman asked for a description. She said, “He’s 35-years-old; 6 foot, 4; dark eyes; dark wavy hair; an athletic build; weights 185 pounds; is soft spoken and is good with the kids.” The neighbor protested, “Your husband is 5 foot 4, chubby, bald headed, loud mouthed and is mean to your children!” The wife replied, “Yes, but who wants HIM back?”
Marriage Counselor: “Please remember, Mr. & Mrs. Brown, that there are always two sides to every story.” Mrs. Brown: “Fine! I’ll tell you my side of the story first. Then, I’m going to tell you his side of the story!”
On Palm Sunday, April 9, 1865, General’s Grant and Lee met at the home of Wilmer McLean in the village of Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia, to discuss the surrender of Lee and his army bringing the Civil War to a conclusion. The contrast between the two commanders was striking. Grant was 42 years-old, 5 feet, 8 inches tall, with a full head of hair and beard, without a trace of gray. He wore a single-breasted, unbuttoned, dark-blue flannel blouse, ordinary top-boots with his trousers inside and without spurs. The boots and portions of his clothes were spattered with mud. He had no sword and a pair of shoulder-straps was all there was about him to designate his rank. In fact, aside from this, his uniform was that of a private soldier. Lee, on the other hand, was six foot in height and sixteen years senior to Grant. His hair and full beard were silver-gray. He wore a new uniform of Confederate gray, buttoned up to the throat, and at his side he carried a long sword of exceedingly fine workmanship, the hilt studded with jewels. His top-boots, fairly new, were clean and shown ornamental red silk stitching. He also wore a felt hat that closely matched the color of his uniform. Grant had walked in off the battlefield and Lee had had time to clean up to present himself in defeat to the world, sitting erect, awaiting his position in history.
[Hebrews 4: 12-13] When Jesus returned to heaven fresh off the battlefield he looked like he had been in a battle. I’ll bet that same day, even though defeated, Satan was all dressed up in his finest, ready to make history. There is coming a day when we will all have our Appomattox meeting. How will you appear to God on that day? Will you be coming fresh off the spiritual battlefield, tired and worn, or will you look like you’ve been hanging out with Satan and the world? What will you gain if you lose your soul?

An Important Reminder

2011-04-09T23:28:00.000-05:00

I don’t think I could be called forgetful, but because I wear so many different hats and have to keep track of a lot of stuff, I rely heavily on my electronic gear to alert me of things I need to get done. The first of every month are things like meetings, HVAC filters (lots of those to check), first of month bills to be paid, bank account reconciliations to perform, just lots of little things to do and if not done on time they can become a log jam of paperwork. Well anyway, I had to laugh the other day when the reminder, ”Windshield Wipers” popped up. It’s a note from way back to check the wipers every month. My past vehicles parked the wipers on the glass exposed to the summer sun and heat, making them melt to the glass when not used over a period of time. The vehicle I now drive parks the wipers sort of out of sight, but giving them a look see is still a good thing to do. Why? Because it hasn’t rained for eight months!! I’ve changed more wiper blades because of inactivity than from wearing them out with use. Where I grew up, wipers were literally worn out from rain, snow and ice removal from the windshield. Not in South Texas! One can install new wiper blades and use them once. The next time the wipers get turned on they’ll leave streaks on the glass because the blades are already deteriorated from heat and dirt. I used to carry a new pair of blades with me because I’ve turned the wipers on only to watch the blades stick to the window as the wiper arm rips lose from the rubber. Awk! I just put those silly things on! It may seem silly, but the lack of rain is definitely getting serious. Locally, we are more than ten inches of rain behind and we’re heading into the hot dry summer season. Prayer is in order, even for those who don’t regularly call on God for help.
A man was sitting on a hard, bumpy, elevated piece of rock, fishing. His wife, watching from a distance for a while, commented to her adult daughter, “Is that the same man who complains every Sunday how uncomfortable the pews are?”
The preacher was speaking on the relationship between “fact” and “faith”. “That you are sitting in front of me here in this building is a fact,” he said. “That I am speaking to you from this pulpit is a fact”, he continued. “But”, he concluded, “it is only faith that makes me believe that any of you are truly listening.”
[1 Thessalonians 5: 2-3] April 15, 1906, was Easter Sunday for that year. By all accounts, church buildings were full. None of the citizens of San Francisco, including the preachers, had any idea that the following Wednesday, April 18th, would bring death and destruction to many of them in the form of the “Great Quake”. It’s a shame that most people honor the host of life with their attendance in worship only once or twice a year. Those same people are surprised to find that when “rainy days” come and they “turn on” their relationship with God, all they end up with is streaks and smears on their windows of faith. I find my relationship with God has to be examined daily and there are things in my life that have to be changed regularly to keep the way clear as I travel through life. I have absolutely no idea when the last day of life will be for me or anyone around me. But I am prepared, because I walk in the truth of the Gospel and my faith in the resurrection unto everlasting life is crystal clear. Are you neglecting regular maintenance on your spirit? Don’t get caught with your prayers stuck to your tongue (James 4:1-6). You have to know God, for God to answer you (James 4:8-10).

Up-lifted or Up-set

2011-04-02T23:22:00.001-05:00

When writing, one must be aware of proper word usage and punctuation, otherwise the meaning could be totally misconstrued. A statement such as, “What’s that in the road ahead?” could lose all it’s meaning just by placing a comma in the wrong place, “What’s that in the road, ahead?” I’ve often, over the years, claimed a Freudian slip. My most common is, “Soul (sole) ownership”. It gets me every time. The most common mistake in lengthy writing is excessive repeating of the same word. It can make an article really dull. I came across a short essay the other day discussing one little word and how it can be used to excess if not guarded. The word is “up”.
It’s easy to understand the word “up”, meaning toward the sky, or at the top of the list. But when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake up? At a meeting, why does a topic come up? Why do we speak up? Why do officers come up for election? Why is it up to the secretary to write up a report? We call up our friends and we use humor to brighten up a room. We polish up silver, warm up leftovers and clean up the kitchen. We lock up the house and some guys fix up old cars. At other times this little word has real special meaning. People are known to stir up trouble, line up for tickets, work up an appetite and think up excuses. To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed up is special. And this “up” is confusing. A drain must be opened up because it is stopped up. We open up our business in the morning and close it up at night. When it threatens to rain, we say it’s clouding up and when the sun comes out, we say it’s clearing up! When it does rain, it wets the earth and often messes things up and when it doesn’t rain for a long period, things dry up. We seem to be pretty mixed up about “up”! To be knowledgeable about the proper usages of “up”, look the word up in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes up almost ¼th of the page and can add up to about thirty definitions. If you’re up to it, you might try building up a list of the many ways “up” is used. It will take up a lot of your time, but if you don’t give up, you may wind up with a hundred or more. One could go on and on, but I’ll wrap it up, for now my time is up, so it’s time to put up and shut up.
[Ecclesiastes 12: 1-7] A comma is used in a sentence to indicate a pause. A period is end punctuation. It is used to show the end of a sentence. With this idea in mind think on the following quote. “Death is not a period, but a comma, in the story of life.” It says a great deal. It speaks of the immortality of the soul. There is more to man’s existence than life on earth. Man has an immortal soul. Ah, soul and spirit. A couple of words hotly debated, kicked around and misused. Think of it this way. Man is made in the image of God, and of the earth. When combined man became a living soul (Genesis 2). The teacher (Solomon) tells us (v.7 of the text) “…the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it”. At the resurrection the spirit and the body will again join to become an immortal soul. (1 Corinthians 15: 42-54) Jesus said, (v. 46) “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Matthew 25: 31-46). We will not be dead all over like Rover. No, we are eternal, like God is eternal. The question in this life is, where do you want to live for eternity? Will your soul be all cleaned up by the blood of Jesus? Will you be making up excuses for you failure to obey the Gospel? Will you be up in heaven, or upset you missed out?

Our Foolish Ways

2011-03-26T23:32:00.000-05:00

I’ve found that there are all kinds of different workers in this world. There’s the perfectionist, me. If a job isn’t worth doing right the first time, just leave it be. Of course the perfectionist is hard to work with, but there’s a greater satisfaction in a job well done. Then there’s the person who thinks they know what their doing, but have no clue. Yeh, they have some knowledge of the area in which they are working, but leave them alone to do a specific task and generally you’ll wish you hadn’t. The worker that always did the most griping and complaining was the one who is constantly inventing ways to get out of work, all the while complaining of not enough pay. Of course there was always a gossiper, or story-teller, in among the workforce, who always had a new piece of information to share about someone else. One learns to be very careful what parts of your life you share with this sort of comrade. But, the worker I totally detest is the prankster. This is the guy who always showed up to bump your arm, or pinches the back of your leg, or sneaks up to make a loud noise at the most inopportune times. I’ve been locked in airplanes, had a dead snake tossed at me while I was literally standing on my head working under the dashboard of a car, (not a good scene), and many other pranks inflicted, resulting in personal injury or job interruption, much to my chagrin and their laughter. Pranksters have no regard for safety, thus I have no use for them.
In Florida, an atheist created a case against the upcoming Easter and Passover Holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians and Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that the atheist had no such recognized days, looking to abolish all religious noted days and holidays in the country. The case was brought to the courts being passed on until it reached the state supreme court. After listening to the passionate presentation by the complainant’s lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring, “Case dismissed!” The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling, saying, “Your honor, how could you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays…” The judge leaned forward in his chair and interrupted, “Oh, but they do! Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant.” The lawyer replied, “Your honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists…” Again the judge interrupted, “The calendar says that April 1st is April Fools Day. Psalm 14:1 states, ‘The fool says in his heart, there is no God’. Thus it is the opinion of this court that, if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st of each year is his day. Court is adjourned!” You gotta love a judge who knows his scripture.
[Psalm 14; Psalm 53; Romans 3] “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’. They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.” Psalm 14 and 53 are nearly twins. Whenever I think as a perfectionist that I can do it all on my own, I am a fool. When I think I know it all, I am a fool. When I complain about life and how it should be better, I am a fool. Whenever I tear up or run down another’s work in the Lord, I am a fool. Whenever I totally disregard God’s law, I am a fool. I’m not perfect, but when I push God aside, I am a fool. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God, but through Jesus we have forgiveness of sins, and we can set aside our foolish ways.

Have a Good Laugh

2011-03-19T22:44:00.000-05:00

I think the world is so messed up at this time, we all need a little lift of spirit and the best way I know to lift my spirit is to have a good laugh. So this week, with tongue in cheek, I think I’ll present a little Bible history lesson. I’m still going to close with a sincere thought or two. Just remember the famous words of Abraham Lincoln; "The problem with quotes on the Internet is, you can never be certain they're authentic."
In ancient Israel, it came to pass that a trader called “Abraham of Com” did take unto himself a young wife by the name of Dot. And “Dot of Com” was a comely woman, broad of shoulder and long of leg. Indeed, she had often been called “Amazon Dot Com”. And she said to Abraham, her husband, “Why dost thou travel far from town to town with thy goods when thou can trade without ever leaving thy tent?” And Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddlebags short of a camel load, but simply said, “How might I do that my dear?” And Dot replied, “I will place drums in all the towns and drums in between to send messages saying what you have for sale and they will reply telling you which hath the best price. And then the sale can be made on the drums and delivery made by Uriah’s Pony Stable (UPS).” Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums. And the drums rang out and were an immediate success. Abraham sold all the goods he had at the top price, without ever moving from his tent. But this success did arouse envy. A man named Maccabia did secrete (look it up, it means to hide) himself inside Abraham’s drum and the young man did take to Dot Com’s trading as doth the greedy horsefly take to camel dung. He was soon discovered and was accused of insider trading. And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening sound of drums that no one noticed a band of rebels called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Siderites, or NERDS for short, trying to hack into the service and above all, no one noticed that the real riches were going to the drum maker, one Brother William of Gates, who bought up every drum company in the land. And indeed he did insist on making drums that would work only with Brother Gates’ drumheads and drumsticks. And Dot did say, “Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others.” And as Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel, or as it came to be known, eBay, he said, “We need a name that reflects what we are.” And Dot replied, “Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators.” “YAHOO!”, exclaimed Abraham. And that’s how it all got started.
[Matthew 19: 13-15; Mark 10: 13-16; Luke 18: 15-17] I think God has the greatest sense of humor. I look at what he has made in wonder and amazement, some things common in appearance, some frightening and some only a mother can love. I stand in awe of the wonders of this world and yet I can see the humor involved in the task of making it all. I think God thoroughly enjoyed himself for six days as he put together the wonders we now enjoy. I can only imagine the smiling face of my redeemer, the laughter he exhaled as a child and as an adult. Children were drawn to Jesus and parents brought their babies and children for him to touch and bless. This is a man with an inviting smile and open receptive arms for the innocence of children. He listened to them and laughed with them. Jesus says we must become as little children to enter the kingdom. We must be innocent, care free and dependent. We need to laugh with God.

God Is Always With Us

2011-03-12T22:04:00.001-06:00

I would guess that on Friday evening last nearly everyone was once again counting their blessings and praying for earthquake ravaged Japan. The feared tsunami theory is now reality and it has many people sitting up straight in their cushy office chair taking notice. The Pacific west coast naysayers stood in awe as they watched their pleasure cabin cruisers and yachts get tossed about like toys in several harbors when the wave arrived from Japan. No, it wasn’t a big wave, but more a swell of ocean water by the time it traveled 5000 miles, nevertheless, destructive as had been predicted and promised by scientists. Japanese officials are equally surprised at the size of the tsunami as it entered their shores. The wave, about 35 feet high at the beach encroachment, traveled inland over 6 miles and destroyed everything in its wake. It is thought that some of this land had actually dropped in elevation and may never be dry again. 100,000 people plus have lost everything they ever possessed. Homes, businesses, farmlands, vehicles, animals and the lives of who knows how many people have been lost forever. Like a thief in the night and worse than an invading enemy, an earthquake has robbed and pillaged the northern sector of the island of Japan. What was once a productive region of commerce now lays waste. This is nothing new under the sun. We know fierce earthquakes and floods and tsunamis and tornadoes and whatever more evil destructive things you can think of, have existed since the birth of our planet and there’s nothing we can do about it. I’m sorry we keep multiplying and getting in the way. As usual the world will join hands in love and concern with whatever is needed to help the people of Japan recover from this devastating event in history. Do you now believe in the reality that tomorrow you too could lose it all?
Soon after Ralph died, his lawyer stood before the family and read Ralph’s Last Will and Testament. “To my dear wife Mary, I leave the house, 50 acres of land and 1 million dollars. To my son Michael, I leave my big Lexus and the Jaguar. To my daughter Suzy, I leave my yacht and $250,000. To my brother-in-law Jeff, who always insisted that health is more important than wealth, I leave my sunlamp.”
A Sunday school teacher asked the class to draw a picture illustrating a Bible story. Little Johnny drew a picture of a big car. An old man was driving, whiskers flying in the breeze. A man and a woman were sitting in the back seat of the car. Puzzled, the teacher asked Johnny to explain what Bible story he had in mind as he drew his picture. “That’s God in his car. He’s driving Adam and Eve out of the garden.”
[Ecclesiastes 5: 8 – 6: 12] Yes, even the first couple lost everything once. It was due to their disobedience true enough, but all was lost. If everyone in the world suddenly became righteous in God’s sight, would all the bad things of this world go away? I doubt it very much. Life is what it is, unpredictable. So, is it wrong to have gain and enjoy it? Not at all! Just don’t hold on to your stuff to tightly. The teacher reminds us, (v.15) “Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs.” Job witnessed the same thing (Job 1:20-21) and added, “…The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (v.22) In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. Where was God during the earthquake? The same place he was when his own son died. God is always with us, no matter the trial.

Mocking God

2011-03-05T23:12:00.000-06:00

Oh boy, here we go again! The last time speculators ran amuck driving up the price of oil Bernie Madoff surfaced like a depth-charged submarine debris slick. I guess only time will tell what sort of surprise pops up after people get to a point where they can’t pay for basic necessities again. Those in Washington with “their thumb on the pulse of America” say this spike in oil and gasoline prices shouldn’t jump start inflation again. The guy with the nerve to say that probably doesn’t even own a car and can’t understand why the price of a cab ride keeps going up. Let’s talk about this. The price of diesel is higher than gasoline which is already high enough to fuel anybody’s greedy pocket. Look around your house right quick. Everything in your house, everything, at one time has been transported in a diesel powered vehicle of some kind (ship, train truck, etc). Every piece of equipment the American farmer uses, to grow the food in your foreign made refrigerator, is diesel powered. A barrel of oil produces plastics, motor fuel, heating oil, textile products and on and on, so when the price of oil is driven up for the sake of someone’s bottom line, the cost of everything to the consumer goes up simply because it costs more to manufacture goods and get them to your front door. That my friend is the formula for run-away inflation! Of course the biggest problem at the moment is how to fairly divide a few billion dollars among NFL players and coaches. That should stimulate the economy, feed the poor, lower health care costs and educate our children. At what price does the soul get recognized as valuable?
[Galatians 6: 7] “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” Here are some men and women who mocked God. 1966 – Singer John Lennon, during an interview with an American magazine said: “Christianity will end; it will disappear. I do not have to argue about that. I am certain. Jesus was okay, but his subjects were too simple. Today we are more famous than him.” After saying that the “Beatles” were more famous than Jesus Christ, Lennon was shot six times and died. Tancredo Neves, President of Brazil, during the presidential campaign said if he got 500,000 votes from his party, not even God could remove him from office. He got the votes, got sick one day before taking office and died one month later never taking the oath of office. Cazuza, a bi-sexual Brazilian composer, singer and poet, during a show in Rio de Janeiro, while smoking a cigarette, with his head tilted back, he puffed out a big cloud of smoke and said, “God, that’s for you”. He died at the age of 32 of AIDS in a horrible manner. Of course we know about the man who designed and built the Titanic. He boldly claimed, “Not even God can sink it!” Ha! Billy Graham once visited Marilyn Monroe. He told her the Spirit of God had sent him to preach to her. After hearing what the preacher had to say, she said, “I don’t need your Jesus.” A week later she was found dead in her apartment. Bon Scott, lead singer of the band AC/DC, in one of his 1979 songs, sang, “Don’t stop me; I’m going down all the way, down the highway to hell”. On February 19, 1980 he was found dead in the back seat of a friend’s car, where he was sleeping off a night of drinking. He had chocked to death in his own vomit. Christine Hewitt, Jamaican journalist and entertainer, said the Bible was the worst book ever written. In June 2006 she was identified by a finger ring, burnt beyond recognition in her motor vehicle. God is at work in the Middle-East, no doubt.

Standing On God's Platform

2011-02-26T23:42:00.000-06:00

I tend to rejoice when the silent majority champions a spokesperson no matter where they might show up. A humbly excited 20 year plus 1 day young man won the Daytona 5oo this year. Trevor Bayne, a total unknown to the NASCAR Cup winners circle, won in his second start at the top level of American auto racing. In the winners circle, on live national and world-wide television, he immediately gave God the glory, then his sponsors and then his car owners and crew. I have to admit, not a very unusual thing to happen, until I heard further interviews and more background stories about this young man. I have since discovered that his total lifestyle is truly rooted in a deep sincere devotion to his faith in God. In one interview Trevor was asked what he liked to do in his spare time. I can’t quote him, but Trevor let it be known he was a devoted person of faith and enjoyed have Bible studies with some other young drivers, and he named a few, because it helped keep them grounded in the truth while surrounded in fame.
February 23rd AP Sports Writer, Chris Jenkins, wrote; “After Trevor Bayne shocked the NASCAR world by winning the Daytona 500, his celebration was decidedly PG-rated. He rode a skateboard and shot some hoops with his buddies. In a quiet moment he wrote himself a note. According to Bayne’s father, Rocky, it said, “How do I stay grounded in my faith, when I am so high on winning this race?” Bayne’s note might have been personal, but the religious sentiment it contained is something Bayne is driven to share. Since rocketing to the spotlight with his big win at Daytona on Sunday, the 20-year-old Bayne has made it clear that he intends to use success in racing as a platform to talk about his faith. Recently, Bayne sat down with his father and business advisers to figure out his long term goals. While winning was on the list, it wasn’t at the top. “I told them that the goal was not to be the best race car driver or the most marketable or most popular”, Bayne said. “It is none of those things. It is to build a platform and let God use us on the platform that He is building – which might require me to become the best race car driver or be the most marketable or most popular or whatever it is. I just want to stand on the platform that He is putting under me.”
Post-race, Darrell Waltrip commented, he wanted to speak with Trevor about the race during the parade lap before the green flag but had to wait for the radio to open up. Trevor was leading his crew in prayer over the radio just before the start. Darrell said, “Kid’s; are you looking for a roll model? Check this boy out. He’s pretty cool.”
[Romans 12: 1-2] “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.” I can’t avoid the old cliché, “A breathe of fresh air”, when I witness a lifestyle like that of Trevor Bayne and other young top professionals who are building a reputation on the will of God, being model Christians. Will this race car driver have fun and suffer set-backs? You bet he will. Will he ever amount to anything other than the winner of the Daytona 500? Who knows? During an interview Trevor said, “Now that I look back over the past few months of preparation I can see God already knew I won.” We are all racing down the road to forever looking for the prize at the end. When standing on the platforms of accomplishment of life are we boasting of self or giving the glory to God and his will?

Many Nations Under God

2011-02-19T23:59:00.000-06:00

With cautious optimism, along with the rest of the world, I’m watching and praying for those who are protesting against their form of government demanding change for personal rights and a voice in government. It seems the Egyptian population has let the genie out of the bottle and the wishes of the people throughout several Middle Eastern countries are being raised in hopes of fulfillment. It sort of brings to mind the character of some men in a little place called Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who represented the thirteen colonies of King George. I think the big problem back then was something called “Taxation without representation”. Am I hearing an echo? Dictatorial life never has set well with independent thinking men and it appears that education and communication is trumping the dictator. Of course it will all depend upon the cards the dictator is holding, but personally I think we’re about to witness historical changes in the Middle East. The scary part about the whole thing is, how will these changes affect the rest of the world? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, you better pray for the best.
A woman truck driver decided to get a dog for protection. As she inspected a likely candidate the trainer said, “He doesn’t like men at all.” “Perfect!” she thought and took the dog. The next day two men in a parking lot approached her and she watched to see how her canine body guard would react. Sure enough – the trainer wasn’t kidding! As the men got closer the dog ran off and hid under a nearby car.
Since he was first to arrive at a high-tech company one morning, the president of the company answered the phone. When the caller asked for the field engineer the president explained that it was before regular business hours, noting that employees hadn’t arrived as yet and asked if he could be of assistance. “What’s your job there?” asked the caller. “I’m the president of the company”, he replied. Following a pause the caller politely said, “I’ll call later. I need to talk to someone who knows something.”
[Deuteronomy 28, 29 & 30] We read in Hebrews 13: 8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”. We also read in John 1: 1-2 & 1: 14, about the Word of God and that the Word became flesh, whom we know as Jesus. We must conclude that if Jesus is never-changing, the Word of God is Jesus, then, the Word of God is never-changing. Can we also conclude that what God mandated to the Israelites before entering Canaan can apply to any people who overtake a land in the name of the Lord? Those few, who hammered out the Declaration of Independence for a God believing, God fearing people, so long ago, actually surrendered and accepted the auspices of the spiritual dictatorship of God. Oh, yes! Christianity is a dictatorship and there’s nothing you or anyone else can do about it. You can’t change it or up-rise against it without God bringing down the gavel of judgment. Our independence from the rest of the world, our form of government, it’s principles, integrity and mannerism of our country, are based on the Word of God. We are slowly slipping away from God in our lifestyle, in our education and in the very place it began, our government. If we don’t return to God in strength of numbers to save ourselves through God’s grace, it won’t be long before we slip into the abyss of other super-power nations in history. Am I over the top here? Look at what God is doing in the rest of the world while His light in America is slowly going out. Serving the world is not enough. Serving God will save our nation.

Who Am I?

2011-02-12T23:48:00.000-06:00

“Who Am I?” I cost the U. S. economy over $100 billion each year. I contribute to 83% of fire deaths; 73% of aggravated assaults; 70% of sexual abuse (including rape and incest); 69% of all drownings; 54% of violent crimes; half of all murders, fatal car accidents, and spousal abuse; 40% of child abuse deaths; I am a part of the most frequently committed crime in the nation today – a crime committed more than three times as much as all other violent crimes combined. I help kill, in a single year, more than all who were killed during the entire Vietnam War. In fact, I am more powerful than all the combined armies of the world. I have destroyed more men than all the wars of all nations. I massacre thousands every year. I am more deadly than bullets, and I have wrecked more homes than all adulterers and adulteresses in the world. I spare none. I find victims among the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the strong and the weak. Widows know me to their everlasting sorrow. I loom so large that I can cast my shadow over every field of labor. I am everywhere – in the home, on the streets, in the factory, on land, air and sea. I lurk in unseen places and do most of my work silently, slowly. I am relentless, merciless and cruel. I take food from the mouths of hungry children and fill their eyes with tears as I break their flesh and bones and hearts. I enslave millions. Everywhere I go I bring sickness and sorrow, shame and humiliation, degradation and death. Yet people embrace me and allow me to bring them misery and ruin. Few dare to oppose me. I can take from you everything you have, including your soul. I may be your worst enemy.
I’ve been real disappointed of late with the drug and alcohol situation that has been slowly and quietly developing in our community. I can’t plead innocence in this area nor do I want to come across as a prohibitionist, but lives, families and careers are being destroyed at an alarming rate by the abuse of drugs and alcohol. The description of “Who am I” deals only with alcohol abuse in this country alone. The statistics do not include the rest of the world nor do they reflect the decimating effects of drug abuse throughout the world today. If you think I’m an alarmist, making a mountain out of an ant hill, you need to crawl out from under the rock you’re living. “We need to legalize marijuana. That way the abuse problem will minimize itself.” Believe that lie and all that will happen is usage will double and triple. Legalize gambling and the same will happen. Our privileged lifestyles and the USA as we know it today I’m afraid will soon be destroyed by ignorance and greed. Responsibility and pride are falling from grace and while the buzzard grows in strength the eagle finds no secure place to build a nest.
[Luke 12: 1-12] “…For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6: 12) We are all at war every day and too many people are surrendering to the enemy because of their lack of knowledge to the presence and power of God. You are worth more to God than anyone in this world. His love and concern for your welfare is greater than anyone in this world. For those who hold a strong and true commitment of faith and love in the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Father watches over and gives strength to battle evil day after day. God is big enough to rule the universe, yet small enough to live in your heart.

Sensible Tune-Up

2011-02-06T00:10:00.001-06:00

It’s amazing how the senses sometimes react to the environment. You know what I mean, a sound can raise an alert feeling not experienced in years or a smell will arouse a memory not thought of for decades. The winter weather has that sort of effect on me, especially when it gets real cold like this past week. The good thing about living in South Texas though, I don’t have to dwell on those thoughts but for only a few days until it’s warm again. I never did like the winters I grew up in and when I discovered it didn’t snow somewhere in the world, I stayed. The blizzards the northeast portions of the country are experiencing this year I have memories of that make me shutter. I wish I had a dollar for every pound of snow I shoveled; I’d be living in the Bahamas’. I got some of the work done on my van before this super cold weather hit. I had a small coolant leak (a bad hose), which I knew would give me a big problem if I didn’t fix that, but the tune-up isn’t done yet. That brought back a memory of working on cars as a teen. We would load up the garage at night and turn the heat up to melt all the ice and snow off the cars to be worked on the next day. I don’t want to go back there. Already the days are getting longer and the weather will soon cooperate getting me in the mood to work on that tune-up. I hope I get it done before it’s too Texas hot to work outside.
If this brings memories back, you’re old partner! The C.R. Gleason Co. of Bottineau, North Dakota mailed a penny postcard simply addressed, Chester Bjorngaard, Maxbass, ND, postmarked June 29, 1928. It read: Dear Sir, We’re writing this letter to you today because we want you to get your money out of your Model T. It’s still as good a car as it was the day the new Model A Ford was announced and there’s no need to sacrifice it. The Model T Ford is still used by more people than any other automobile. Eight million are in active service right now and many of them can be driven one, two, three and five years and even longer. Bring your car to us and let us look it over. You’ll be surprised to see how little it costs to put it in tip-top shape. New fenders, for instance, cost from $3.50 to $5.00 each, with a labor charge of $1.00 to $2.50. Tuning up the motor and changing the commutator case, brush and vibrator points costs only $1.00, with a small charge for material. Brake shoes can be installed and emergency brakes equalized for a labor charge of only $1.25. A labor charge of $4.00 to $5.00 will cover the overhauling of the front axle, rebushing springs and spring perches, and straightening, aligning and adjusting wheels. The labor charge for overhauling the average rear axle runs from $5.75 to $7.00. Grinding valves and cleaning carbon can be done for $3.00 to $4.00. A set of four new pistons and rings costs only $7.00. For a labor charge of $20.00 to $25.00 you can have your motor and transmission completely overhauled. Parts are extra. Very truly yours.
[Hebrews 13: 8] “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” The world and its inhabitants are in constant change. What applies today may not tomorrow and what is only dreamt of today could very well be reality tomorrow. One constant I can always rely on – God will never change. When I think about it, God has no reason to change anything. What God has done, has been done to perfection and needs no modifying. Any time of season in life is the time to tune-up with the Word of God, to help you run as smooth as possible and get all you can out of life, and the life to come.

Priceless

2011-01-29T23:07:00.001-06:00

It is so unlike me to not fiddle around with the vehicle I drive at least once a month. I think the most I’ve done to the van I purchased nearly one year ago is washing it. It needs a tune-up real bad, but the weather and doctors and everyday activities have prevented me from finding the time to dive into the job. My biggest excuse is that the sun goes down too early keeping me from working in the evenings. Probably the main reason for my procrastination is the difficulty factor involved with changing the spark plugs on a sideways V-6 engine. I’m not as flexible as I used to be. Unlike the old days you have to actually roll the engine over to get to the plugs against the firewall. I’ll get it done soon, I hope. Maybe Punxsutawney Phil will be kind to us this year.
Changing oil in the car is still about the same job. Women go to the Quick Lube, drink a cup of coffee and in fifteen minutes they’re on the way. Total cost; Oil Change $20.00 + Coffee $1.00 = $21.00. Men don’t trust the lube dudes to do the job correctly so they do it themselves. Saturday: Drive to the parts store, buy 1 case of motor oil, filter, kitty litter, hand cleaner, and a scented tree; $50.00. Stop by 7-11 for case of beer; $20.00, drive home. Drink 1 beer. Jack up car. Look 30 minutes for jack stands; find them under peddle car. In frustration, drink 1 more beer. Place drain pan under car, look for 5/8” box wrench, give up, use crescent wrench. Unscrew drain plug, drop it in hot oil draining from engine splashing it all over you. Clean self up, throw some kitty liter on spilt oil and drink another beer watching oil drain. Can’t find oil filter wrench so decide to drive screwdriver through filter with hammer to loosen filter. In the process more hot oil sprays everywhere. Clean self up, again, and spread kitty liter on spilt oil. Dump oil in hole in back yard and remember to hide filter under trash in can in fear of environmental snitches. Buddy shows up; finish off the case of beer then go to his house to see his new garage door opener. Finish oil change tomorrow. Sunday: Skip church; “I gotta finish the oil change.” Beer? No, drank it yesterday. Go to 7-11 to buy beer. Too early. Stand around for 30 minutes waiting on Blue Law, drive home with beer. Install new filter remembering to coat seal with oil. Start filling engine with new oil; suddenly remember not installing drain plug. Find drain plug in hole in back yard. Spread kitty liter on spilt oil, install plug. Drink 1 beer while beating self up for being so stupid; 1 more beer. Dump in five fresh quarts of oil. Rest and have a beer. Lower car from jack stands and accidently crush remaining case of oil. Move car to apply rest of kitty liter to oil on floor. Test drive car and get stopped by police; get charged with DWI. Cost: Parts $50.00; DWI $2500.00; Impound Fee $75.00; Bail $1500.00; Beer $40.00. Total: $4165.00. Knowing the job got done “right” – Priceless?
[John 6: 60-70] Earlier in this chapter, Jesus was describing exactly who he was and what his ministry was all about. Many around him complained, “…This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” Jesus has also taught, “…For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11: 28-30). I will not leave myself out when I say man is always thinking he has a better way of doing things to obtain the same results. Going to heaven cannot be accomplished any other way than God’s way and that’s the message Jesus brought to us. Try hard as you might, nobody can change God’s will. Repentance and baptism cannot be sidetracked. Faith, hope and love are priceless in God’s will.

God's Cleansing Power

2011-01-22T23:40:00.000-06:00

If it weren’t for women most of us guys would still be living in a cave sitting around deciding if we were hungry enough to go hunting or not. My domestic training over the years has netted a guy willing to help with the dishes, do a little cooking, push a cart through the grocery store, alone, without embarrassment and do some laundry without running colors or melting elastic waste bands. Of course, training started very early in life with domestic chores around the house every day. The recent cold weather brought to mind the day I helped with the laundry. I don’t remember why I was involved, but do know it was a very cold day and for some reason my mother wouldn’t let me out of her sight. Anyway, I remember the wringer washer, big tubs to catch the clothes as they exited the wringer squeezing out the soapy water. Then the washer got emptied and refilled with clean hot water for rinsing the laundry and another run through the wringer to squeeze the water out. That day mom was washing bed sheets, huge pieces of cloth to a little guy. The final rinse and run through the wringer had to be done just so, positioning the big sheets in the big laundry basket in a way that hanging them on the clothes line outside was a little easier. I helped lifting the sheets out of the basket as my mother attached the sheets to the clothesline with those wooden clothespins. The sun was warm, but the air was cold and I couldn’t wait to get back inside the house. Well, for the cold weather part. About the time my mother figured the sheets should be dry, hanging in that beautiful sunshine, we found them frozen stiff as a board. If I remember right, the sheets hung there for several days, even through a snow storm before the sun and wind thawed and dried them. Doing the laundry is easy now-a-days.
A lady was showing her visiting church friend her neighbor’s wash through her kitchen window. “They’re not very clean people”, the lady said. “Just look at the streaks on that wash!” The friend reluctantly looked and then softly said, “Dear, those streaks aren’t on your neighbors wash. They’re on your window.”
[1 Corinthians 6: 9-11] If it weren’t for the Word of God I would still be in the clutches of the evil one sitting around trying to decide if it was really worth the effort to go on living. It really does get that bad when one has no hope of ever finding true happiness. Spiritual training, and I’m going to call it that because I continue to experience epiphanies of rational truths that better my life as a whole. When I first came to the Lord I realized my sinful nature and the need for cleansing of the spirit through baptism (Acts 2:37-41). It felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted off my shoulders and life was anew. But then the devil took me back to the world and hung me out in the cold with a cruel personal attack to test my new found faith. Let me tell you, I froze to death. Life dealt me a miserable hand and I folded. I felt dirty, even though I hadn’t done anything wrong. My spirit was in worse condition than before. But I never gave up. I continued to walk in the sunshine as often as possible trying to thaw out my hardened heart. Then I learned to walk in the Son again. Since I quit trying to find a cleansing solution in the world and returned to the Word for guidance and answers I don’t fear the cold of the world anymore. Read, 2 Corinthians 4. Unlike our temporal bodies and possessions that can become soiled beyond our ability to cleanse, our eternal soul is never beyond God’s cleansing power. Are you cleansed in His power?

Horsepower

2011-01-16T07:34:00.000-06:00

While the weather has me cooped up in the house waiting on Daytona to fire up the beginning of another NASCAR season, it’s time for Detroit and the world auto-makers to show off their new “stock cars”. Even though most cars are starting to look alike, I’ve got to give the manufactures thumbs up in the design department. Feeding the same materials into computers, fuel mileage, aerodynamics, weight, wheelbase and so forth has all the computers spitting out the same basic design for automobiles, hence they look the same. But lately the manufacture is conceiving ways to give their products character, making them readily recognizable from a distance, like the good old days. Plastic, aluminum, fiberglass and other fiber composites are giving designers ways to build autos like never before. And like the good old days, there’s horsepower again, but unlike days past, with fuel mileage. Four cylinder engines are putting out 200 horses, V6 engines 300 horses and when turbo assisted 400 horses! Better than the good old days. The only problem I see with the technical advances of the past ten years is, getting one of these cars fixed will be like buying it all over again. Good luck with that! One good thing about this years’ auto show, no new SUV’s or “land yachts” or gas guzzling limo stretched pick-up trucks. I can hear the racing engines already.
“Dad”, exclaimed the 16 year-old boy on the phone. “I can’t get the car started. I think it’s flooded” To which the father replied, “Where’s the car?” Sheepishly the boy said, “It was in the lake.” Calmly the father said, “You’re probably right, it’s flooded.”
A man found a bottle, rubbed it and out popped a genie. The genie said, “Ask me for what you wish, for I can grant it.” The man said, “I fear flying and would very much like to visit Hawaii, could you build a bridge for me?” Genie: “Oh, that’s a tough one. Is there another wish you have?” Man: “I’ve never understood women. Could you explain them to me?” Genie: “Would you like that to be a two or four lane bridge?”
A senior citizen was driving down the freeway when his cell phone rang. Answering, he heard his wife franticly warning him, “Lloyd, I just heard on the news that there’s some fool driving the wrong way on the road you always travel!” To which Lloyd urgently replied, “It’s not just one car! It’s hundreds of them!”
[Colossians 2: 6 - 4: 6] As a Christian, I at times feel like I’m on the road to forever going the wrong way. I’ve lived long enough to see religion and the church go through a lot of design changes brought about by men and women who feel that changes need to be made to conform to changing times. “The church is too old fashion. We need to modernize it to fit today’s culture.” All I can say to that is those people seem to forget that the church is not of the world and doesn’t have to conform to anything in this world to be the church. What I read in the Bible is that I must conform to the regulations of the church to become a part of the church. It is I who must change not the church. The world is constantly enticing me to conform to its activities, which frankly makes me sick to see so many people simply giving in to the idea that there is no right or wrong to govern consciousness and integrity. Well, although it may seem at times I’m swimming upstream I still know where I’m going. Some people want to make you think you’re missing out on the fun, but I’m working on an eternal reward that will never let me down. The genuine love of my Lord is all the horsepower I need.

Are You Speeding?

2011-01-08T22:54:00.000-06:00

My last couple of trips to the big city have netted a few revelations. One being quite obvious that, it must be true, small communities are suffering financial woes just by the presence of the police cars along the side of the highway delivering speeding and other tickets of motor vehicle operational violations. The second is that three dollar a gallon fuel has slowed the highway traveling pace by about ten miles per hour. I had noticed on earlier trips during the holidays that I was passing several more cars than usual on the two lane. Soon after, I filled my fuel tank and was face to face with the reality of the price increase since my last fill-up. My lead-foot has become light as a feather and I’m no longer spending my travel time to the big city in the show-off lane. At sixty miles per hour very few vehicles are zipping down the road much faster. I was thinking about making a sign to hang in the window of my van for those who are still flying low down the highway: “YOU’RE ONE OF THE REASONS GAS COSTS $3 A GALLON!” Maybe it’s just me, getting old and slow. NOT! I’m like you, where will it all end and is there anything I can do to better the situation. I do know if I don’t accelerate hard and slow down, my $3 a gallon gas goes much farther.
A man was speeding down the highway, feeling secure traveling in a gaggle of cars all traveling at the same speed. However, as they passed a speed trap, he got nailed with an infrared speed detector and was pulled over by the highway patrol. The officer obtained the man’s license, registration and proof of insurance then returned to his patrol car. A few minutes later the officer returned the man’s documents, handed the him a citation for speeding, received his signature and was about to walk away when the man asked, “Officer, I know I was speeding, but I don’t think it’s fair. There were plenty of other cars around me going just as fast, so why did I get the ticket?” The officer asked, “Ever go fishing?” Startled, the man stammered, “Well, yeah…” The officer interrupted and added, “Did you ever catch all the fish?”
A minister was stopped by a law enforcement officer, who pulled him over for speeding. As the officer was writing the ticket the minister said to him, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” The officer handed the minister the citation and said, “Go in peace my friend and speed no more.”
[Matthew 7: 13-14] The doctor says, “Slow down!” We speed up. The doctor warns that worry and stress is bad for the heart, but we just have to keep up with the Jones’. The doctor begs us to lose weight and eat better, but who has the time? It’s such a shame to watch people go through life as if it’s a race of fame and fortune. Oh, I know the Bible calls life a race, but learn the truth! Life is an endurance race. How many times will it take, seeing others getting caught for speeding and ticketed with heart-attacks, high blood-pressure, stroke, high cholesterol, diabetes, reparatory and numerous other physical problems, simply because they don’t heed the warnings, before we wake up? Walking the narrow path is good for the physical health of everyone and is essential for everyone’s spiritual health and the spiritual life to come, “…for broad is the road that leads to destruction.” Are you prepared to suffer the devastation of a debilitating physical meltdown? Are you ready to spend forever in the clutches of eternal death? You think it’s time for a physical and spiritual make-over?

New Year, New Goals

2011-01-01T23:23:00.000-06:00

Here we are already plunged into another year of uncertainty yet pressing forward with plans and ideas to better our way of life. I know I’m not alone when I say I have a list of things I wish to accomplish throughout this year. My goals for the year vary from “I’d like to do this or that” to “I’ve got to get this or that done without fail”. It still doesn’t mean all of my goals will get fulfilled, because it seems without fail, circumstances of life change our focus and direction sometimes on a daily bases. I try to be careful with my goals, to make them challenging but not impossible to reach. And, as good as I feel about my goals, I have to remind myself I’m not a failure if when I look back on 2011, I haven’t checked off everything on my list. I always look back on life and ask myself, “Did you live a respectable life last year?” I think that’s where we all start a new year, wanting to be a better person. Living healthier and refining relationships are generally on the top of most lists and unfortunately are among the first to get pushed aside. Nevertheless, I try to work my goals as long as I can, because it feels so good to have a promise to ones self blossom and grow.
A sign in an office window read, “Help Wanted. Must type 70 words a minute; Must be computer literate and bilingual; Equal Opportunity Employer. A dog was ambling down the street and saw the sign. He looked at it for a moment then pulled it down with his mouth and walked into the manager’s office. The office manager laughed and said, “I can’t hire a dog for this job.” The dog pointed to the line, “Equal Opportunity Employer”. So the manager said, “OK, type this letter for me.” The dog sat at the computer and a minute later had a finished perfectly formatted letter. The manager wasn’t convinced. “I still can’t hire you for the position. You have to be bilingual.” The dog looked up at the manager and said, “Meow.”
“Congratulations Mr. Smith. I think we have finally and completely cured you of your delusion.” said the Psychiatrist. “Thanks, I guess”, answered Mr. Smith grimly. “So, what’s wrong? Why are you so depressed?” asked the psychiatrist. “Wouldn’t you be down if one day you were the President and the next day you’re nobody?"
“Now how many of you would like to go to heaven?” asked the Sunday school teacher. All the eager three-year-olds raised their hands except Helen. “I’m sorry, I can’t. My mommy told me to come right home today after Sunday school.”
[Proverbs 23] (v4&5) “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” (v12) “Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.” (v17&18) “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”(v23) “Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding.” The Proverbs are amazing writings. When I read them I can see myself as I was, as I am, and as whom I can become. The strength and guidance I need to live day to day comes from God’s Word. I have been lifted from the debts of despair and sinful living to a height of hope and righteous living. My greatest goal every day is to please God in all I do and say. I occasionally fail, but I refuse to give up. My trust and my riches are in the Lord, who will deliver me from sin.

2011 Resolute

2010-12-25T23:13:00.001-06:00

I got called an “Old Timer” the other day and I almost took offence to it, but then a funny thing happened – wisdom kicked in. Hey, an old timer is one who remembers when people aimed to get to heaven instead of the moon. In the old days, when I was growing up, the dirtiest four-letter word I ever heard was - WORK. I’m not there yet, but I’ve been told the difference between the old and the young – The old forget and the young don’t know. Well, I’m not burnt out yet and I’m not about to give up my old timey ways for the sake of being politically correct or socially tolerant. In fact I’m going to work harder at pleasing God in 2011 and becoming wiser for the future.
We are blessed to have reached this point in life. Having survived another year we need to concentrate on making the most of the one before us. * Live for the day and those yet to come. Like Paul, “…forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14). Too much of life is wasted looking back, regretting failures, mistakes and lost opportunities. Such accomplishes nothing and it robs us of the time and energy to be productive in the days we do have. * Resolve to set your house in order, beginning today. Today is the beginning of the rest of your life. Make the most of it you can. From now on, put first things first (Matthew 6:33). * Remember your Creator (Ecclesiastes 12:1). Love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). Demonstrate that love by seeking His will for your life. Search the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11) and make every effort to obey them to the best of your abilities (Matthew 7:21). * If you have not already, commit your life to Christ. Enlist in His sacred cause. Proudly take the name Christian and make His church a vital part of your daily life. Give it precedence over social clubs, sports and recreation. While these may have some merit, none compare with Christ’s church. When the time come to leave earth’s realm it is to the church you will look to close the final chapter of your life and commend your soul to God. * Do all the good you can to all the folks you can. At best we have only a few years left. Resolve to use every day to serve your fellow man. Jesus said “…whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). Good, done in the name of Christ, is treasure laid up in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). * Pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17), thanking God for the blessings you have enjoyed and must have to survive even one day. * Tell everyone you know about the marvelous Savior who has so enriched your life. Share the joy you have found in Christ. Urge them to, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him” (Psalm 34:8). * Live in peace with God and man, relishing every hour, joyfully awaiting the day when He will call you home (2 Peter 11-14). Life boils down to this: “…Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. "For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments (Matthew 24:37-40). When it comes to serving each other physically and spiritually, “All we have to give - is - all we have to give.” Are you willing to give up your selfish social status for the comforts of heavenly wisdom?

Peace

2010-12-18T23:10:00.000-06:00

It’s that time of the year when emotions can run amok triggered by all the things one would like to accomplish with perfection in mind. Holiday decorating, gift buying, meal preparations and arranging accommodations for visiting out-of-town guests is enough to weigh anybody down to a point of short circuiting and blowing a fuse. I’ve seen it happen more than once in my life only to realize that no matter how perfect one thinks things are going, somebody gets their feelings hurt because your perfection doesn’t fit their mold. All I can say is, do it your way. If things don’t work out find a way to get the biggest complainer to do all the work next year, that’ll learn ‘em. In all seriousness, I hope your plans are all coming together for this holiday season and you enjoy a very merry Christmas and the beginning of a great new year. And as I always try to remind the world, don’t forget the reason for the season. The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us, bringing the message of peace and saving grace from our Father in heaven. Jesus is the name above all names. He is peace.
A beautiful young girl walked up to the counter in a department store. “I want to buy this fabric for a new dress I’m making as a gift to a friend. How much will it cost?” “Only one kiss per yard” replied the smirking young clerk. “That’s fine” said the girl. “I’ll take ten yards.” With expectation and anticipation all over his face the clerk quickly measured out and cut the cloth. As he held out the package to the girl expecting payment, the girl snapped up the package and pointed to a little old man standing near her and said to the clerk, “Grandpa is paying the bill today.”
In a Christian school, the teacher of a second grade class was attempting to get the students to memorize the names of the twelve sons of Jacob before Christmas break. Bobby came to the front of the room to recite his memory, “Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin… Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen.”
A burglar broke into a house to steal Christmas. He shined his flashlight around looking for valuables. Then a voice in the dark said, “Jesus knows you’re here.” He nearly jumped out of his skin, clicked his light off and froze. He heard nothing so continued. As he pulled out the stereo to disconnect the wires, clear as a bell he heard, “Jesus is watching you.” Freaking out he shined his light around looking for the source of the voice. The light rested on a parrot in the corner of the room. “Did you say that?” he hissed at the parrot. “Yup” said he parrot. “I’m just trying to warn you, Jesus is watching you.” The burglar relaxed. “Warn me huh? Who do you think you are?” “Moses”, said the parrot. “Moses” laughed the burglar. “Who names a parrot Moses?” The parrot smugly replied, “The same people that named their Rottweiler, Jesus.”
[Matthew 1: 18-25] Have you ever thought about the tongue wagging that went on concerning Joseph? The Bible says he was a righteous man and Mary was pledged to be married to him. Joseph was most likely planning for marriage, saving some money, having dinner at her parent’s house and getting to know his future wife as they visited and talked about the future. To his surprise, and everyone else’s, Mary is with child. An angel explained everything to Joseph, which he accepted, and took Mary into his home as his wife. As obedient to the Lord as Joseph was, still, think of the ridicule he endured about his first born. Life isn’t always as we dreamed, but God is always peace.

Twenty-five Years

2010-12-11T23:20:00.000-06:00

As I have recently written about time seeming to sprout wings as life progresses, I discover twenty-five years has passed since my wife, Paula, and I said, “I does”. I had been dragging my feet for over a year and marriage really wasn’t on the top of my to-do list. One day she approached me with the idea and after washing my hands and combing my hair, she made me change my shirt too, we went to the courthouse where a judge pronounced us husband and wife. A lot of water has gone under, and over, the bridge since then and as a lot of men can attest to about a loving, faithful wife, without her in my life I probably wouldn’t be worth spitting on. I didn’t make it easy for her to domesticate me, she almost gave up once, but I think she’s done a pretty good job of bringing me to my senses and raising me up out of the pig slop. I don’t know if we have another twenty-five years in us, but I do pray we will share life until death do we part. We were two ships passing in the storm who just can’t navigate alone anymore.
After a few years of wedded bliss you get to know your spouse fairly well. An old story has been told about Jake who drove over to the next county to buy a bull for the farm. It cost more than expected and he was left with only one dollar. Since he needed to let his wife know she could come and get the bull with the truck and telegrams cost a dollar a word, he thought for a while then said, “Go ahead and make it just this one word – comfortable.” “How’s that going to get your point across?” asked the clerk. “Don’t worry”, said Jake. “She’s not the greatest reader. She’ll say it real slow.”
A couple was celebrating their golden wedding anniversary. Their domestic tranquility had long been the talk of the town. A local newspaper reporter was inquiring as to the secret of their long and happy marriage. “Well, it dates back to our honeymoon”, explained the man. “We visited the Grand Canyon and took a trip down to the bottom of the canyon by pack mule. We hadn’t gone too far when my wife’s mule stumbled. She quietly said, “That’s once”. We proceeded a little farther when the mule stumbled again. Once more my wife quietly said, “That’s twice”. We hadn’t gone a half a mile when the mule stumbled a third time. My wife promptly removed a revolver from her purse and shot the mule dead. I started to protest over her treatment of the mule when she looked at me and quietly said, “That’s once”’.
Bill: “Where you going on vacation?” Bob: “Yellowstone National Park.” Bill: “Don’t forget Old Faithful.” Bob: “Oh, I wouldn’t leave home without her.”
[Proverbs 18: 22] “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.” Troubles in marriage often start when a man gets so busy earning his salt he forgets his sugar… Too many couples marry for better or worse, but not for good… When a man marries woman, they become one. The trouble starts when they try to decide which one! Remember, just because many couples “harp at each other” doesn’t mean that their marriage is made in heaven. (House to House / Heart to Heart) “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22) “A foolish son is a father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping. Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.” (Proverbs 19: 13-14) My wife is a gift from the Lord I do not deserve, no doubt. The Spirit has written of her and countless like her. (Proverbs 31: 10-31) Praise God!

Taking Out The Trash

2010-12-04T23:34:00.002-06:00

I grew up in a small town in Yankee-land where we had all the services of treated water, sewage and garbage pick-up. But I can also remember visiting some friends and grandparents who lived in the country where things were very different. Well water varied from place to place. Some tasted good, some bad; some kind of red, some kind of black and some just plain stunk so bad you just didn’t want to use it at all. Sewage, of course, was always a septic system, not always in the best of condition. Then there was the household trash pit. As a young boy taking the trash to the pit was an adventure. Everything under the sun had been thrown in a pile for years allowing Mother Nature to tend to the recycling process at her own rate of speed and time. Tin cans by the hundreds, bottles of every shape and size, furniture and bed springs, old appliances, an ash pit for the coal burning house furnace, worn out bicycles, tires, a rusted out car or two and sometimes a wrecked vehicle which came with a story on how it got in that shape. We purchase, use, then throw it away without giving it a second thought. We are consumers and that’s what we do best, consume things. It’s still a chore that has to be done regularly, putting out the trash. It all gets hauled off to a trash pit somewhere out of sight, out of mind. Mother Nature still does her thing.
The Sunday school teacher asked Jimmie why he was late. “I was gonna go fishing, but daddy wouldn’t let me”, Jimmie replied “You have a wise father”, said the teacher. “Did he explain why you shouldn’t go fishing today?” “Sure” said Jimmie. “My dad said there wasn’t enough bait for both of us to go fishing.”
A man took his three-year-old daughter to the home improvement store. She quickly became tired of walking, so he let her ride on his shoulders. Soon after he began carrying her she started pulling on his hair. Although he asked her kindly, several times, to cease pulling his hair, she kept on. Getting annoyed, he began to severely scold her. “But daddy” she whimpered, “I’m trying to get my bubblegum back!”
[Ephesians 4: 17-32; Colossians 3: 1-9; James 1: 19-21; 1 Peter 2: 1] A consumer is generally considered to be the “end user”. Of course this involves a lot more than eating a bologna sandwich and drinking a soda. Our stomach is probably the least to receive what we consume. Our eyes and ears consume the most of what we use in this life, and unfortunately, that can tend to make our brain a sizeable trash pit. It’s the end of the year and most everyone is examining their life, making a note on the things they would like to change, making resolutions (promises) to ones self. May I suggest it’s time to take out the trash? Paul, James and Peter have made some great statements on what you must do to clean up your trash pit. Jesus teaches about taking out the trash. (Luke 11: 24-26) The trouble is, if you don’t put something back in its place you may end up with a bigger trash pit than before. So, the wisdom of the Spirit has also led the Apostles to tell us what we must replace our trash with. (Ephesians 5: 1-21; Colossians 3: 10-17; James 1: 22-25; 2 Peter 1: 3-8) Can you clean up your trash pit? Yes you can, with God’s help. Trust in the Lord to make all things right and it will happen. Don’t like some of the things in your life? Pray about them and work on change. God loves you, so much he gave us his one and only Son, sacrificed for the atonement of the sins of the world. God is willing to work on your trash pit with you today. Pray about it.

PUSH

2010-11-27T23:13:00.000-06:00

Well, here we are, nearing the end of another year. And if anyone in the generations behind me want to know if the rumor about the years whizzing by the older you get is true or not, I’ll witness to that, and affirm the rumor is true. The problem with the years slipping by faster and faster is how I critique my time. I used to look at my day to warrant success or disappointment in how I spent my time. That slipped into weeks, then months, then seasons and now years. Life seems to get so busy and we fill every waking hour causing the days to rush by in a blur. I think my best days, weeks, months, seasons and or years is when I’m learning and applying something new. Maybe that’s why time sort of runs slow when you’re young, there’s so much to learn. Well, I’ve got to confess this past year has flown by like a jet, which apparently indicates that I’m in a rut. Illness has sort of finished off this year on a sour note and as I think about it, maybe it’s my lackluster that’s brought about some of it. Oh well, onward and upward.
A man was sleeping one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that he was to push against the rock with all his might. So, this the man did, day after day. For many years the man toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin, tired and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain. Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan), decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind of the man. “You’ve been pushing against that rock for a long time and it hasn’t moved.” Thus he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man. Satan said, “Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, give just a minimal effort and that will be good enough.” That’s what the weary man planned to do, but decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. “Lord”, he started, “I’ve labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time I have not budged that rock. What is wrong? Why am I failing?” The Lord responded, “My friend, when I asked you to serve me, and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention I expected you to move it. Now you come to me, strength spent, thinking you have failed. Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back is strong, your hands are callused, and your legs are massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. True, you haven’t moved the rock, but your calling was to be obedient, and to push, and to exercise your faith and trust in my wisdom. That, you have done. Now, I, my friend, will move the rock.”
[James 5: 13-20] When everything seems to go wrong; when the job gets you down; when others don’t react the way you think they should; when there’s too much month at the end of the money; when people just don’t understand you; PUSH!! – Pray Until Something Happens! Be obedient in all things, and God will remove the mountains.

Future Leaders

2010-11-13T23:41:00.000-06:00

I’ll certainly be happy when all this doctor stuff is over with. Have you ever had a period in your life you wish would just go away? I bet you have and although I’ve had them before I’ve never experienced a period of numerous physical problems all at one time. Well, it looks as though things are coming to a crescendo with appointments abound to deliver (prayerfully) favorable results of all the testing I’ve been going through. One result has already made me more comfortable with the biopsies of my vocal cords clear of any cancer. Healing is progressing and only time will tell how much voice I’ll regain this go around. While I’ve been set back on my heels and humbled by age, I’ve naturally been reviewing my life and looking to the future as to what I would like the rest of my life to produce. I’ve been here before and will probably visit these thoughts again, but I think it’s good for the health of the soul.
I read an article recently about the future by Bob Harrison and I would like to share it with you.
[Isaiah 11: 1-9] “…and a little child will lead them.” (v.6) Abraham Lincoln has been considered by many to be one of our best presidents. One of the reasons I like Lincoln so much is because he is a brother in Christ who was baptized by one of the restoration leaders before he was elected as president. Also, his humor and wit still inspires people today, as he also inspired the nation at its worse during the Civil War. The following is a quote of Abraham Lincoln that we ought to seriously think about: “A child is a person who is going to carry on what you have started. He is going to sit where you are sitting, and when you are gone, attend to those things which you think are important. You may adopt all the policies you please, but how they are carried out depends on him. He will assume control of your cities, states and nations. He is going to move in and take over your churches, schools, universities and corporations. All your books are going to be judged, praised, or condemned by him. The fate of humanity is in his hands.” Isaiah was prophesying about the coming of Christ in the flesh and that His kingdom would bring peace and knowledge of the Lord. When the Lord came, it would be like a little child leading them, something that would seem out of place in the mind of worldly leaders and thinkers. When the Lord came the world would experience what it had never experienced before and “…the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (v.9) As Abraham Lincoln was saying, a child will carry on what we have started. The next generation takes its cue from us. What are they seeing in us? What is our life about? What is important to us? Are we following the footsteps of the Lord who came down from heaven to leave us an example? (1 Peter 2:21) Where are we leading the children who are watching us? When Jesus came, He blessed the little children, praying for them, and said this is what the kingdom of heaven should look like. (Matt. 19:13-15) Jesus said we are to humble ourselves as a child if we want to be great in His kingdom. (Matt. 18:2-4) Where are we leading the children? Are we leading them to Jesus? Are we eager, like children, to follow Jesus? Do we realize how much our lives depend on Jesus like a child depends on a parent? Remember, a child will take your place one day and be like you and do what you have done. What future are we leaving our children? Teach by example.

Unpleasant Goodness

2010-11-07T00:56:00.000-05:00

Sometimes we have to endure unpleasant things to reap good benefits. If I got you started you could probably think of a million ways to apply this thought. For example, to enjoy a good meal, one has to shop for its properties and then prepare them for consumption in a way that tastes wonderfully good and is healthy for the body. YUM! How about painting a house or mowing the lawn or even putting out the trash? All are somewhat unpleasant things to do, but the rewards outweigh the discomfort of having to get it done. Probably the “biggy” of all uncomfortable things to do is to submit the body to surgery, hoping to reap good benefits from it. It’s one of those things we entrust to someone else and have no control over during the procedure. I’d love to help to ensure that it got done right, but surgeons are funny about that, in that they don’t need my input, so they put me to sleep. It’s probably best for both of us. I do, however, spend much time in prayer before I enter into uncontrollable situations in my life, and that includes every morning before I enter the world another day. My most sincere prayer is for God to grant me the ability to accept the outcome of those uncontrollable situations. If I were to come out of surgery no longer able to speak, or never able to sing again, will I still praise God? God didn’t change nor did His love for me change. I pray that my love and need for God will grow in His strength when I am weak. I also praise my God and give thanks for His love and strength, not only for the things He does for me, but all the good things He will do for me the rest of my life. Today I praise God for answered prayer. No cancer found in my vocal cords this go-around. The surgery has left me uncomfortable, but this will pass with healing. I still have a voice! Thank-You for your prayers and continue to pray I will remain in God’s love.
A college student challenged a senior citizen, saying it was impossible for their generation to understand his. “You grew up in a different world”, the student said. “Today we have television, jet planes, space travel, nuclear energy, computers…” Taking advantage of a pause in the student’s litany, the old geezer said, “You’re right. We didn’t have those things when we were young, so we invented them! Just what is it that you are doing to better the lives of the next generation?”
It’s bedtime and a little girl is saying her prayers: “God bless Mommy and Daddy and me. And please make Madrid the capital of Australia.” Her mother who was with her asks why she wants Madrid to be the capital of Australia. The little girl replied, “Because that’s what I put for an answer on my geography test today.”
[Job, Chapters 1&2] It seems everyone’s advice for anyone who is suffering in life is to read the book of Job. Their thought is, if you read about the troubles of Job, which will over shadow any problem you might have, you’ll feel better. It never worked for me. But, if one were to read about Job to discover how God really cares for his children, now that’s comforting. God is still in control no matter what is happening in my life. God is always watching over me and will never allow anything to enter my life that I can’t handle, with his help. My faith grows knowing that without God there would be nothing, but with God, all things are possible. When I have troubles, God is not punishing me, my faith is being tested. As Job says: I came with nothing; I’ll leave with nothing. The lord gives; The Lord takes away. Praise the name of our Lord.

Is It Too Much To Ask?

2010-10-30T23:03:00.000-05:00

I truly hope you took time to vote in the general election this year. As a wise man told me a long time ago, “You’ve got no right to complain if you don’t take the time to exercise your right to vote.” If a citizen isn’t involved in the process of electing those who represent them and their interests in government, then they have no room to squawk. And, in my opinion, the reason we have selfish representation in our state and federal governments is the total lack of election poll attendance. Complain all you want, but the only way to change the status-quo is through you, and your vote.
Wouldn’t it have been nice if we could have voted on the “Congressional Reform Act of 2010”? You haven’t heard of it? Let me brief you. (Tongue in cheek) (1) Term Limits: 12 years only, for any one person. For example: A. Two six year Senate terms. B. Six two year House terms. C. One six year Senate term and three two tear House terms. Twelve years total, and you’re out for life! (2) No Tenure/No Pension… A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when out of office. (3) Congress (past, present and future) shall participate in the Social Security Program or Congressmen can purchase their own retirement plan, just like all Americans do. (4)Congress will no longer have the power to vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional raises will reflect cost of living raises the same as all other government recipients’. (5) Congress must participate in the same health care system as the American public. (6) Congress will equally abide in all laws they have and will impose on the American people they represent. Is this too much to ask for? I don’t think so.
[Colossians 3: 1 - 4: 1] Is God asking too much of the Christian for righteous living? If Jesus came to your house to spend a day or two, if he came unexpectedly, I wonder what you’d do. Oh, I know you’d give your nicest room to such an honored guest; that serving Him in your home would be joy beyond compare! But when you saw Him coming, would you meet Him at the door, with your arm outstretched in welcome to your Heavenly Visitor? Or would you have to change your clothes before you let Him in, or hide some magazines and place the Bible where they’d been? Would you turn off the radio and hoped He hadn’t heard and wished you hadn’t uttered that last, loud, hasty word? Would you hide your worldly music and put some hymn books out? Could you let Jesus right in, or would you rush about? And I wonder, if the Savior spent a day or two with you, would you go right on doing the things you always do? Would you keep right on saying the things you always say, would life for you continue as it does from day to day? Would your family conversations keep up there usual pace? Would you find hard each meal to say a table grace? Would you sing the songs you always sing or read the books you always read, and let Him know the things on which your mind and spirit feed? Would you take Jesus every place you had planned to go, or would you maybe change your plans for just a day or so? Would you be glad for Him to meet your very closest friends, or would you hope they’d stayed away until His visit ends? Would you be glad for Him to stay forever on and on, or would you sigh with great relief when He at last was gone? It would be interesting to know the things you would do, if Jesus came in person to spend the holidays with you. (Luke 19: 1-10) Are you like Zacchaeus, wanting to see Jesus? He repented his worldly ways for salvation.

Babel

2010-10-23T23:39:00.000-05:00

I’m never sick except for an occasional chest cold, maybe once a year, so to be as ill as I was is a new experience for me. The phrase for “I totally don’t get it” is generally considered to be, “It’s all Greek to me”, but when it comes to medical nomenclature I’ve got to stick with, “It’s all Latin to me”. The named diagnosis, the procedures to get to the diagnosis and the medicine to treat the unpronounceable illness can have one scratching his head wishing someone would simply write it down in plain English to be understood. Like other professionals, the medical field has its buck and a quarter words that only they use, but in the end what matters is that their work brought about a healing of which I’m grateful. I do have to say, everyone I encountered, be it at our little hospital or at the medical institute, had a compassionate attitude and went out of their way to be of service to all their patients. I can’t say I would want to repeat the experience right away, but my attitude toward the profession is more trusting today.
When it comes to words and language, I don’t guess there’s any more confusing than English. In the publication, “Hints on Pronunciation for Foreigners” by T.S.W., there appears this little poem: I take it you already know of tough and bough and cough and dough. Others may stumble, but not you, on hiccough, thorough, lough, and through. Well done! And now you wish, perhaps, to learn of less familiar traps? Beware of heard, a dreadful word that looks like beard and sounds like bird. And dead: it’s said like bed, not bead – for goodness sake don’t call it “deed”! Watch out for meat and great and threat. (They rhyme with suite and straight and debt.) A moth is not a moth in mother; Nor both in bother, or broth in brother. And hear is not a match for there nor dear and fear for bear and pear. And then there’s dose and rose and lose – just look them up – and goose and choose. And cork and card and ward, and font and word and sword, and do and go and thwart and cart. Come, come, I’ve hardly made a start! A dreadful language? Man alive! I’d mastered it when I was five. (I’m still working on it)
An old man was having a discussion with his new doctor. “I’ve sure gotten old! I’ve had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, and new knees; fought prostrate cancer and diabetes. I’m half blind, can’t hear anything quieter than a jet engine, take forty different medications that make me dizzy, winded and subject to blackouts. I have bouts with dementia, have poor circulation and can hardly feel my hands and feet anymore. I can’t remember if I’m 85 or 92 and I’ve lost all my friends. But, I’m thankful for one thing – I’ve still got my drivers license.”
[Genesis 11: 1-9] Mankind has almost come full circle. A universal language is permeating business and commerce throughout the world and it must be learned to compete. Man is seeking total reliance on himself thus attempting to build a world without God. Mankind is forever seeking self gratification, to make a name for his-self, not acknowledging the Creator, without whom we would have nothing. Science is the discovery of the wonders of our great and awesome God, yet man strives to put God in a box and prove he is smarter than God. Ain’t gonna happen! Search for the edge of the universe and look for the smallest particle all you want, you’re not going to find it. God will continue to baffle man, attempting to reconcile a broken relationship. Those who seek God first find love and a less competitive world in any language. Understandable?

Feeling Better or Bitter?

2010-10-17T02:14:00.000-05:00

“Gloom, despair and agony on me; Deep dark depression, excessive misery; If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all; Gloom, despair and agony on me!” HeeHaw! I haven’t been much good for anything the past month with illness keeping me sitting on the porch feeling sorry for myself. The high-powered medicine I had taken to cure one disability opened the door for another type of bacteria to attack my body, which sent me into a tailspin for another week. It’s terrible to not have the energy to get out of bed when a person like me is used to running nearly eighteen hours a day. Today I’m very much on the road to recovery and hope to be up to full speed by the beginning of the new work week. Oh, by the way, as if I don’t have enough on my plate already, I had my regular vocal cord check-up the other day and it looks like more surgery. The right cord is showing some potential bad cell growth again and to stay on top of things another biopsy and surface cleaning is needed. The voice I keep trying to preserve is slowly being whittled away, but then again I always did talk too much, generally saying the wrong things at the right time. November 2nd is the date.
You know you are getting “Marvelously Mature” when… You try to straighten a wrinkle in your sock only to discover you’re not wearing socks; At breakfast you snap, crackle and pop but you’re not eating cereal; It takes two tries to get up from the couch; When you’re memory is shorter and you’re complaining lasts longer; It takes twice as long to look half as good; People think you have more patience, but it’s actually that you just don’t care anymore; You find you finally gotten your head together and your body starts falling apart; You wonder how you can be over the hill when you can’t remember be on top of it; You wake up looking like your driver’s license; and, All you want for your birthday is to not be reminded of how old you are.
Illness and disabilities which limit the movement of a person, as I’ve rediscovered lately, has a humbling effect on the soul, and/or a rattling effect on the mind. Case in point, the recent rescue of the miners in Chile. The youngest miner at age 18 was very disturbed and at times unruly while trapped underground. I can’t imagine the mind bending thoughts that ran through those men, but cooler heads prevailed and all but one survived. On the other end, the oldest miner, I don’t recall his age, stepped out of the rescue “cage”, and fell to his knees in a prayer of thanksgiving to God. Just an observation I made and the thought that the trials of life are humbling to the soul.
[Hebrews 3: 7-19] An old and wise preacher used to say, “Trials will do one of two things in your life: they will either make you better or they will make you bitter!” Two men, famous in English literature, were both lame. Lord Byron was embittered by his handicap. He brooded on it and allowed it to drive him to anger against God and rebellion against society. Sir Walter Scott, on the other hand, never complained or spoke a bitter word about his disability. His writings are touched with optimism and a largeness of soul which were a reflection of the man. In the circumstances, it is not surprising that Byron had written a letter to Scott in which he said, “I would give my fame to have your happiness”. During my short illness Satan has injected doubt and bitterness and a little “why me?” challenging my faith and beliefs. Life is fragile unto death and the spirit is forever. Where do I want to spend eternity? With my creator.

Twinkies and Root Beer

2010-10-02T23:20:00.001-05:00

Every time I’m called on to do something for someone else I can’t help getting the feeling, “I don’t have time for this right now”. Yet it seems when I get past that selfish feeling, helping someone else in their time of need always works out for the best with plenty of time to spare. The older I get the more time I find for others and the happier I seem to be with my everyday schedule of things. If you’re feeling down and lost as what to do in life, try helping someone else. I don’t mean dictate to and change someone else’s life according to your thinking, because that will only produce another messed-up you. No, just simply help someone successfully negotiate their day on their terms. It’s amazing what a body can learn by living someone else’s life for a few hours.
"The purpose of life is not to be happy - but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all." Leo Rosten
More than half a century ago, a Johns Hopkins professor gave a group of graduate students an assignment. They were to go to the slums and find 200 boys, aged 12 to 16, investigate their background and environment, and predict their chances for the future. After their interviews, the researchers concluded that 90 percent would spend time in jail. Twenty-five years later, another group of graduate students went back to test the prediction. They found that some of the boys, now men, were still there. A few had died and some had moved away, but the researchers were able to locate 180 of the original 200. They found that only four had ever been in jail! Why? The answer came: “Well, there was this teacher…” In three-fourths of the cases, it was the same woman. The researchers found her in a home for retired teachers and asked her how she had exerted such remarkable influence over a group of slum children. Her only answer was, “I loved those boys.”
[Luke 10: 25-34] A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of Root Beer and started his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park feeding some pigeons. The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie. The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at the boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer. Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon, eating and smiling, but never saying a word. As the shadows grew long the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave. Before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man and gave him a big hug. The man gave him the biggest smile ever. When the boy opened the door to his house, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?” He replied, “I had lunch with God.” Before his mother could respond he added, “Ya know what? God’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!” Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and asked, “Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?” He replied, “I ate Twinkies with God in the park. You know, he’s a lot younger than I expected.” Peace.

Are You A Good Coach?

2010-09-25T23:16:00.000-05:00

As much as I dislike going to doctors, I guess it’s time I admit if I’m going to live any longer I need to put my trust in a good general practitioner. It happened to me again last week, that denial that something is going wrong in the body and it needs an attentive hand before it gets out of hand. But no, I can ride this thing out without a doctor. Wrong!! It’s amazing how a microscopic bug can take over the body, cause an infection and essentially shut down the whole digestive process. The body is a team effort and when one player goes down it’s time for the coach to make a decision. As a coach I haven’t been making very good decisions lately nor paying the attention I ought to my players. Life and health is a fragile thing, and old age ain’t for sissy’s, so I guess it’s about time I admit I need help with my general health and stop being so macho about the whole thing. Needless to say, I was very ill last week and recovering this week with some high-powered medicine. For best results, engage brain and use.
Before he was terminated by the Dallas Cowboys football team, Coach Barry Switzer was seeking advice all around the NFL on what ingredient makes for a winning football team. He eventually sought out Steve Mariucci of the San Francisco Forty-Niners, who told him the MOST important thing to having a winning football team was to have a quarterback who was extremely smart. As proof he took him over to quarterback, Steve Young, and asked Steve this question: “Who is you father’s brother’s nephew?” Steve Young, without hesitating a moment answered, “I am”. When Switzer returned to the Cowboys practice facilities, he went over to Troy Aikman and asked him the same question: “Who is your father’s brother’s nephew?” Troy thought about it for a moment and told the coach he needed some more time to come up with the right answer. Then, Troy went to Deion Sanders and asked him the question. Deion immediately replied, “Why, I am”. So Troy Aikman went back to Coach Switzer and said, “I have the answer. It’s Deion Sanders”. Switzer giggled and said, “No, No, you’re wrong. It’s Steve Young.” Not much has changed, has it.
A customer service representative for a national pager company received an unusual complaint on the phone one day. It seems a man keeps getting paged by a “Lucille”, somebody he doesn’t know and doesn’t want his wife to see. The rep instructed the man to simply call her and ask her to stop paging him. “She don’t never leave no number, so I can’t call her back”, replied the irritated customer. The rep asked how he knew it was Lucille if she didn’t leave a number. “She leaves her name”, was the reply. After establishing that the customer had a numeric-only pager the rep asked the customer to spell her name for him. Very slowly and methodically the customer said, “L-O-W-C-E-L-L.”
[Ephesians 6: 10-18] We use everything from vitamins to antibiotics to fend off unwanted germs and viruses harmful to our body, but what about our spirit? Paul talks about our war with spiritual forces always trying to invade our nature of love and kindness and goodness. When we let them in, we become like the world, and lose the image of God, of which we are made. Paul says, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of the dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Beware!

All I Hear Is Buzzing

2010-09-11T22:29:00.002-05:00

I wonder if the insect world gets as annoyed with buzzing cicadas as we sometimes do with barking dogs. There’s nothing worse than flip flopping in bed because of a barking dog in the neighbor’s backyard, which happens to be right under your bedroom window. The prehistoric urge to kill boils up in thought, but a simple “shut up – go lay down” generally quiets the pup and a word with the neighbor solves the problem. I wonder what a spider does when a cicada moves in next door for a week or two. All that buzzing would drive me crazy. Cicadas live underground for up to fifteen years, supposedly, living on tree root fluids. The mature cicada digs its way to the surface to date and mate for two weeks, and then dies. By the way, the male cicada is the one making all the noise trying to attract a female’s attention. My bunkmate took up making strange noises in her sleep a few years ago, I probably do the same, but it was enough to wake me often in the night. Earplugs have solved the problem, but now I don’t hear the alarm clock. Going to sleep at night and waking in the morning is getting complicated with age. I’m still getting up on my own, that’s a plus for sure.
Diet and exercise seems to be the buzz everywhere today. A secretary engaged in such a conversation said, “I’ve started a new exercise program. I do 20 sit-ups each morning.” The others in the group didn’t seem impressed. She continued, “That may not sound like a lot, but you can only hit the snooze button so many times.”
Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey, but I’d bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away in about 1.7 seconds, still half asleep, eyes closed, the first time and every time after that. Amazing!
[2 Chronicles 7:14] “…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and will heal their land.” This is what the Lord said to Solomon about the use of the temple. “…But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot you from my land.” “…When people ask why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple; People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers; …and have embraced other gods worshipping and serving them, that is why he has brought all this disaster on them’” (v. 19-22) 1 Corinthians 3: 16-17 says, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” Which case do you think God will recognize as a genuine plead for the healing of our land? 1 – Become a raving fool calling for the burning of a certain group of believer’s book of rites, in the name of God or, 2 - Become a humble dedicated believer in the power of prayer and know that God will do the heavy work. All our complaining and bickering and scheming, trying to solve our political problems is nothing but buzzing in the ear of God. Do you love our land enough to pray for it? If we don’t start petitioning God, the foundation of this country, according to his will not ours, God will uproot us rather than heal us. Put your gods aside for one minute and pray to God for healing peace.

Wicked and Lazy

2010-09-04T23:19:00.001-05:00

I’m certainly glad that’s over with! August I mean. The month of August has a way of bringing the laziness out in me, big time. I think I remember something about the dog days of summer and if they’re in August, I guess that’s why this dog doesn’t hunt in the heat. When the thermometer grows to 90 degrees I start slowing down and when it tops 100 degrees you’ll find me under the porch taking a nap with Rover. The problem with taking the month of August off is that the housework suffers severely. I took inventory the other day and discovered I had tree limbs on the ground, grass growing tall and the house air conditioner giving up under the pressure. As Charlie Brown would say, “AWK”! I’ll soon have to get up off my lazy side and get back to my domestic chores as it’s rumored a cold-front and a little rain is headed our way.
A new attorney in town had just opened up his office. He was concerned about building a clientele and as he heard someone at the door, then saw it opening, he grabbed up the phone receiver thinking that he must impress this prospective client that he was busy. Pretending he had someone on the phone he said, “Well, I’m very sorry, but it will be at least two weeks, due to my present case load, before I could possibly take your case.” He put down the receiver and asked the man now standing in front of his desk, “Yes sir, and what can I do for you?” The man grinned and said, “I’m here to hook up your phone.”
A man left work one Friday afternoon, but instead of going home he stayed out the whole weekend playing golf with the boys and spending his entire paycheck. Sunday night, when he finally appeared at home, he was confronted by his very angry wife who barraged him for nearly two hours with a tirade for his actions. Finally his wife stopped the nagging and simply said to him, “How would you like it if you didn’t see me for two or three days?” To which the husband replied, “That would be fine with me.” Monday went by and he didn’t see his wife. Tuesday went by and he didn’t see his wife. Wednesday brought the same results. Then on Thursday the swelling went down enough he could see her just a little out of the corner of one eye.
After the sermon, a gentleman came up to the preacher and said, “My wife said I should come apologize to you. I guess I was rude. I talked all the way through your sermon. But I really didn’t mean to. It’s just that sometimes I talk in my sleep.”
[Matthew 25: 14-30] “…And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” We have all been given talents and blessings that God expects us to work with to bring about a return in his name. Most people don’t give it a second thought to use their talents and blessings in the name of our Lord to teach the truth of God. Instead they use them only to their own benefit not thinking of the welfare of others along the way. Is it okay to gain from your talents and blessings? You bet. God has nothing against gain, but he does have a problem when we forget where it came from and we call it “mine”. Are you a Christian, a child of God? Are you using your talents and blessings to rescue others from this sinful world? Do you hide your talents and blessings for fear of making an embarrassing mistake or losing part of what “belongs” to you? The master said to that person, “You wicked, lazy servant!” I’d rather make mistakes and lose it all, than be called wicked and lazy.

Back To School

2010-08-28T23:56:00.000-05:00

It’s that time of the year when it seems most families have shifted gears and roared off into a totally different daily routine. This is especially prevalent in families with school children. The summer out of school daily activities verses the in school, is totally different, yet sometimes still just as hair pulling. Getting back into a ridged time schedule of going to bed at night and rising on time in the morning has been known to heighten the emotions of both parent and child to a point of screaming and crying. I think most families renew their evening meal gathering which may have unraveled during the summer months. It’s a good time to talk about the next days schedule and whose suppose to be where and when. There is so much activity in school nowadays I don’t know how some families keep up. Whatever a “normal” school year routine is for your family, good luck, and don’t get too hyper with each other, it’s not healthy.
A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather’s computer keyboard producing an array of letters and numbers on the monitor screen. When questioned what she was doing, she said she was writing a story. “What’s it about?’ asked the grandfather. “Oh, I don’t know”, she replied. He then asked, “How come?” She stopped what she was doing, sighed and answered, “Because I can’t read, Grandpa!”
A little boy was spending the weekend with his grandmother after a particularly trying week in kindergarten. His grandmother decided to take him to the park. It was the fall of the year and everything was beautiful. His grandmother remarked, “Doesn’t it look like an artist painted the scenery? Do you know God painted this for you?” The little boy said “Yes, God did it and he did it left handed.” Grandma inquired, “What makes you say God did this with his left hand?” With great assurance the little boy said, “Well, in Sunday school we learned that Jesus sits on God’s right hand.”
[Hosea 4: 1-6] I know that relaxed schedules and disciplines can also bring about the skipping of worship during the summer. Spiritual education is as important as mental schooling. Our country is suffering due to the lack of faithfulness, and love, and no acknowledgement of God in the land. This is a good time to return to worship as a family. A preacher made a house-call to a long time member who suddenly stopped coming to worship. The preacher waited patiently at the door after knocking. The member opened the door and without a sound returned to his rocking chair in front of the fireplace. The preacher also sat in a chair next to the fireplace for quite some time without a word ever being said. Then the preacher got up, took the tongs, and picking up a glowing ember he placed it on the hearth where both could see it. The preacher sat back down without saying a word and the silence continued between the two men. The ember glowed for a while, but then started to lose its brilliance and heat. When the ember was just about out, the preacher silently stood up, took the tongs and returned the ember to the fire where it once again glowed brilliantly. After a few more moments watching the fire, the preacher turned to leave. The man got up out of his chair and as he walked him to the door he said, “Thanks for the fiery sermon. I’ll see you Sunday.” Without God, we as a people, living in a land of milk and honey, will be destroyed because of our lack of knowledge about God’s will for our lives. Our country is being plundered and paganized by anti-Christ’s. One day, God will turn his back on America.

Do You Ignore Instructions?

2010-08-21T22:37:00.000-05:00

It’s time for that old school bell to start ringing again. Of course that’s only a call for formal classes of teaching. It seems there’s a lot of activities going on around the school yard at least a full month before classes begin. Football players are scrimmaging in the attempt to learn new plays and formations with the hope of throwing off upcoming opponents. Sports of new sorts such as volleyball and soccer, not in my yearbook, and the old standards, track and field, baseball and basketball, will be in the lineup of activities throughout the year. The band and flag corps along with the cheerleaders are practicing new routines to razzle-dazzle and excite assembled fans of interscholastic competition. I’ve got to tell you though; I don’t know how some of these teens and parents get it all done in a 24 hour period. I’m just happy there’s a learning rule in effect: No pass; No play. Learning has to be the number one priority.
Here’s a helpful hint for you busy soccer moms. Unless you deliberately set aside a little time for regular relaxation, you will not be able to efficiently care for your family. Therefore, plan to relax a minimum of an hour and a half every couple of years.
A teacher in the second grade drew a greater-than (>) and a less-than (<) sign on the chalkboard and asked, “Does anyone know what these signs mean?” A few moments passed, and then a boy confidently raising his hand said, “Fast-forward and rewind!”
Catlin’s mother was teaching her the Lord’s Prayer. For several evenings, at bedtime, she would repeat what her mother would say as she learned. One night, Catlin decided to go solo. Her mother listened with pride as she carefully enunciated each word with perfection right up to the end of the prayer. “…lead us not into temptation”, she prayed, “but deliver us some e-mail…” What?!! Keep working at it mom.
During one high-school concert season, the music students were preparing for the big extravaganza. The teacher had clearly communicated every detail to the students and to the parents, on two different occasions, what was expected of the students, including the time for the mandatory rehearsal. But, on rehearsal day, one panicky mother called during practice to see what time her teenager was suppose to show up. Another called to say, “Oh, we’re taking Tommy to Grandma’s. It’s okay if he misses rehearsal, right?” When the teacher reminded the parents that this was a mandatory rehearsal and it had already begun she heard, “Why didn’t someone tell me? How was I to know?” How often are we instructed and informed, only to not listen and act?
[1 Thessalonians 4: 1-12] Just as the teacher was troubled that her clear instructions were ignored, is it possible that God is troubled by our tendency to ignore his clear instructions? Paul reminds us that his God-inspired message tells us “…how to live in order to please God…” and that those instructions come by “…the authority of the Lord Jesus.” God is not pleased, but grieved, when we ignore his instructions. (Ephesians 4:17 - 5:2) How do we keep from forgetting about God in our busy daily life? The Hebrew writer says, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess…” and “…let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” How can we do this? “Let us not give up meeting together… but let us encourage one another…” (Hebrews 10: 23-25) We don’t meet together because we have nothing better to do. We meet to remember God and his love for us. Are you following instructions?

Departing Embarassment

2010-08-14T23:15:00.000-05:00

Life is full of challenges and most of us like to hit them head-on, giving them all we have. The down side to jumping right in a pot of hot stew is, sometimes we find out it’s a kettle of fish. Embarrassment sort of crops up every once in a while in life and being the brunt of laughter and finger pointing just seems to make matters worse. Take it to heart the next time you find yourself in an embarrassing situation; it happens to everyone now and again. Laugh at your self; it’s not the end of the world.
A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, she said, “Now, class, if I stood on my head, the blood, as you know, would run into it and I would turn red in the face.” She continued, “Why is it then, while standing upright, the blood doesn’t run into my feet?” A small child’s quizzical voice broke the short silence, “Because your feet aren’t empty?”
Grandpa lived most of his life in Skunk Hollow. He was a preacher there and his small congregation met in the schoolhouse. He was also a member of the small Rotary Club of the community and never left a meeting without inviting his fellow club members to Sunday worship. One Sunday three of the service club’s members walked in the door. Excited, grandpa hurriedly whispered to an usher, “Give three chairs to the Rotarians.” The usher didn’t understand and asked, “What did you say?” Grandpa whispered again, “Give three chairs to the Rotarians.” The usher stood up and yelled, “Okay, everyone, all together now. Three cheers for the Rotarians!”
A man was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching his wife, who was looking at herself in the mirror. Since her birthday was not far off he asked what she’d like to have for her birthday. “I’d like to be six again” she replied still looking in the mirror. On the morning of her birthday, he arose early, made her a nice bowl of Lucky Charms, and then took her to Six Flags theme park. What a day! He put her on every ride in the park; the Death Slide, the Wall of Fear, the Screaming Rollercoaster, everything there was. Five hours later they staggered out of the theme park. Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside down. He took her to a McDonald’s where he ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a chocolate shake. Then it was off to a movie with popcorn, a soda pop and her favorite candy snack. What a fabulous adventure! Finally, she wobbled into the house with her husband and collapsed on the bed, exhausted. With a big smile, he leaned over to his wife and lovingly asked, “Well Dear, how did it feel being six again?” Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed, “I meant my dress size, you moron!”
[Matthew 7: 21-23] Jesus was teaching his disciples… “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” [Matthew 25: 31-46] Jesus is going to separate those who loved doing the will of God through no personal gain from those who ignored the needs of the indigent. He will separate those who daily lived in harmony with the will of God from those who devised ways to be recognized in their seemingly service to God. Is your Christian life centered on the love of God and His will for man or is it centered on self advancement and its rewards. It will be the ultimate embarrassing moment if Jesus says to you… “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”

Identification Please

2010-08-08T13:30:00.001-05:00

What is the immigration issue? It has become so clouded with individual agendas that the seriousness of the problem, if there really is a problem at all, has become buried in unwarranted racial and ethnic tensions. Let’s face it; we don’t live in the same world we were accustomed to twenty-five or thirty years ago. National security needs to be in the forefront of concern when it comes to protecting our neighborhoods from international threats on our way of living. I’m not against immigration nor am I well versed in immigration law. I do feel that common sense has been locked up in a closet someplace being held hostage by the news media of this country just to sensationalize anything that can stir the racial pot to a boiling point. Look; an immigrant is a person who has recently settled in a country but was not born there. An immigrant is one who follows all the laws of immigration. An immigrant is essentially invited into their new country with open arms. An alien is much the same. An alien is a person from another country; a person of foreign birth who has not been naturalized. (Also, a being from outer space, I’ve never encountered one of them.) The simple rub is this; illegal means that an immigrant or alien has entered their new country without telling the legal authorities of that country. I dare you to enter a foreign country of this world without proper, legal identification papers, issued to you by the authorities of that country. Your passport becomes those papers of identification when it gets stamped at the port of entry. Failure to present your passport to authorities of that country at any time will land you in prison immediately, no questions asked. That’s all that is being asked of persons crossing our borders every day, proper identification. I, a born citizen of this country, have to show proper identification when asked by officials and I don’t see bigotry or racism involved in asking the same of anyone in this country. Quit listening to the media. The Gestapo is not breaking down doors. And, if you won’t go find out whom your neighbor is, who will? That’s all I’ve got to say about that.
[Ephesians 2] All good things in this life are conditional. I can drive as well as anyone, but I cannot receive a license to drive on our public highways until I prove my abilities to certain government officials. Driving is a privilege. I am invited to join others in this privilege, but I must work at being a safe driver every day. I have been invited to heaven through the grace of God, but it is conditional. Oh no, Tom. It’s a gift from God and you can’t earn it. You’re right. Now, tell me when the last time you gave a complete stranger a place to live, free of charge for the rest of his life. On the Day of Judgment it’s going to take proper identification to enter into heaven. God’s grace won’t be poured out to complete strangers. The gift of salvation is conditional my friend. We cannot disregard plain statements such as Mark 16:16 and Acts 2:38 where we are taught it will take belief, repentance and baptism to be saved. In addition we must obey God; Matthew 7:21; Hebrews 5:8-9; Revelation 22:14. When preparing to visit a foreign country, one must obtain all the things necessary to legally enter that country. If you don’t fulfill all the demands of the authority of that country, you will not be allowed to enter. Think seriously about your entry into heaven. Have you fulfilled all that is being demanded by God? Will your passport of faith be enough? Will a clean criminal record be enough? Can you show proper Christian identification?

The Nervous Clock

2010-07-24T23:32:00.001-05:00

Have you seen the TV commercial for the Greater Off-Shore Bank and Trust? It’s a scam, a totally fake set-up to see how much personal information people are willing to give a complete stranger. The bait is the promise of $500 given to every person who opens a new account. Then the “bank executive” begins helping the new customer fill out the account application with questions that should cause the applicant to suspect something is not right. Yet they continue to answer questions giving up names, phone numbers and addresses of friends and family, other bank account numbers, credit card numbers including PIN numbers, place of employment and descriptions of personal belongings. One woman was asked for a strand of hair for DNA identification and she willingly gave it. For a pot of stew, people are willing to give up their whole life. The commercial was sponsored by Internet Explorer which claims to keep you safe on the internet by filtering out such scam artists, keeping your personal information safe. Well all I can say is, be sure you know who you give information to these days. Any one who offers you something for nothing is out to take everything you have; word.
Time is of the essence and it seems today everyone has filled their 24 hours with 30 hours worth of stuff to do. And if you don’t think people are in a hurry, or even worse, simply running on cruise control while preoccupied with another task, get a lawn chair and sit at the nearest street corner that has a stop sign and witness how many drivers fail to even attempt to stop at the intersection. I recently nearly broad-sided a vehicle that simply didn’t stop at an intersection. The driver looked but never stopped. I sensed the pending doom and avoided ruining my day. I’m losing more and more trust in my fellow man and my faith suffers because of it. We’re becoming a hard, cold people.
[Matthew 28: 18-20] In his sermon titled, “How to Worry”, Donald Lee tells about the clock that had a nervous breakdown. This new clock was ticking away on the shelf, two ticks to the second like any good, self-respecting clock should tick when it began to think about how times it was going to have to tick. “Two ticks to the second means 120 ticks per minute”, it mused. “That’s 7,200 ticks per hour, 172,800 ticks per day. 1,209,600 ticks per week for 52 weeks for a total of 62,889,200 ticks per year.” Horrors!! Straightway the clock had a nervous breakdown. The clock was taken to a psychiatrist who inquired, “Clock, what’s your trouble?” “Oh doctor”, wailed the clock. “I have to tick so much. I have to tick two ticks to the second and 120 ticks per minute and 7,200 ticks per hour and….” “Hold it”, interrupted the psychiatrist. “How many ticks do you have to tick at one time?” “Oh, I just have to tick one tick at a time”, the clock replied. “Then let me make a suggestion”, said the doctor. “Go home and try ticking one tick at a time. Don’t even think about the next tick until it’s time. Just one tick at a time. That I’m confident you can do.” We become worriers by practicing worry. We can become free of worry by practicing the opposite and stronger habit of faith. Faith is ticking one tick at a time knowing that God will give us strength for the next tick. Every day of your life see yourself as living in partnership and companionship with Jesus Christ. Should you be worried or afraid? We demand too much control of our life, thus we overload our skills and worry about the outcome. God is in control and His guidance should be a comfort to us, in all that we do, every day.

Seemingly Unrelated

2010-07-17T23:38:00.000-05:00

I hope I’m not alone here, but I’m tired of opening a door to enter a building and watching twenty or more crickets exploding into the room ahead of me. With perfect environmental conditions this year, we sure had a bumper crop of those noisy little critters. The birds have certainly benefitted from the banquet of over-abundance in the food chain along with the roaming neighborhood felines now fat and sassy. I think the hotter, drier weather has the crickets on the wane. The only thing we have to put up with now is the stench of dead crickets everywhere. This to shall pass. I wish that were the only problem we face in this world today, but a lot of other things stink in a far worse way than dead crickets. I fail to understand why big business refuses to learn from the mistakes of others. This oil well failure in the Gulf should have never happened. Call it an accident if you want, but every “accident” investigation ever conducted has reveled that two or more seemingly unrelated events had to come together causing the “accident”. Several known, ignored problems existed on that oil platform, if corrected, would have prevented the “accident” in the first place, but combined at just the right time, became explosive. All the things tried by BP to stop the flow of oil were tried in the late 70’s off the coast of Mexico with no success, yet they tried them anyway, why? With all the forked tongued double-talk about how everything is going to be okay, this “accident” still has the potential to become a huge environmental disaster. It’s still all about how much the bottom line is going to suffer.
A couple went to breakfast at a restaurant where the “seniors’ special” was two eggs, bacon, hash brown and toast for $1.99. “Sounds good”, said the woman, “but I don’t want the eggs.” “Then I’ll have to charge you $2.49 because you’re ordering a la carte”, the waitress warned her. “You mean I’d have to pay for not taking the eggs?” the woman asked incredulously. “YES!!” stated the waitress. “I’ll take the special then”, said the woman. “How would you like your eggs?” asked the waitress. “Raw and in the shell”, the woman politely replied. She took the two eggs home. To survive these days you have to think like big business, it’s all about the bottom line. Right?
Two deaf men were in a coffee shop discussing their wives. One signed to the other, “Boy was my wife angry with me last night. She went on and on and wouldn’t stop!” The other signed back, “When my wife goes off on me I just don’t listen.” The first man inquired, “How do you do that?” With a smile he signed, “I turn off the lights.”
[2 Chronicles 7: 11-22] “…If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” We know what happened to the Temple and the City of Jerusalem; they were destroyed because the people turned away from God. Look around you; look at this country founded on the principles of God and His Word. We as a people are committing spiritual suicide and in the end this great nation will be aborted by God if we don’t humble ourselves and repent our selfish ways. Pornography, abortion, gambling, cheating, lying, worship of material things, drugs, defilement of the marriage bed, disassembling of the family, etc; are all seemingly unrelated events going on in this country which will one day bring us to our knees. The bottom line is, repent, and get on your knees this very day. Pray!

Now I See

2010-07-10T23:33:00.001-05:00

It’s been ten days since my eye surgery and two post-op check-ups later, the report is good. One might expect “eye surgery” to be a painful thing, but there was very little pain involved, in fact less than an accidental poke in the eye. I have several eye drop medicines to administer daily for the rest of the month, a small price to pay for better eyesight, whenever that might occur. The only thing I can positively say is all the “floaters” in the surgical eye are gone thanks to the fluid change. The still blurred vision has me concerned, but I have to be a patient, patient. I have seen a slight improvement every day and pray-fully, I’ll have the eye of an eagle once again.
I can’t imagine what it would be like to be without eyesight. I think I could get along without eyesight, but I couldn’t survive without insight. Insight is the ability to see and understand clearly the inner nature of things. I encountered a short sarcastic article the other day beginning with the statement, “What we are depends mainly on what we are looking for”. Then it went on from there with several insightful proverbs. “The dreams of the older generation were to pay off a mortgage. The dreams of today’s young families are to get a mortgage.” “There is no cure for birth and death, save to enjoy the interval.” “If you’re in a bad situation, don’t worry – it’ll change. If you’re in a good situation, don’t worry – it’ll change.” “Common sense is genius dressed in its working clothes.” “Self-control is keeping yourself from telling others how much you know.” “About the only thing you do on a shoestring these days is trip and fall.” “Always remember, the future comes one day at a time.” “If you think no one cares you’re alive, miss a couple of payments on your house.” “A roadmap contains a wealth of information, except how to fold it up again.” “Nothing needs reforming more than other people’s habits.”
Doctor: “I’ve got some good news and some bad news.” Patient: “What’s the good news?” Doctor: “The good news is they’re naming the disease after you.”
[Psalm 89: 14-18] In his book, “The One Year Walk with God”, Chris Tiegreen says this. “Worship is a learned art. It is an attitude of the heart that continually acknowledges God and values His character. It is the ultimate reflection of reality in the mind of the believer and it is the key to blessing. With natural eyes, we often see our struggles as huge obstacles and our chances of overcoming them as slim. We are easily overwhelmed. We know our limitations and God’s omnipotence seems distant. When we acclaim Him, as the Psalm says, we shed those earthbound illusions. Our worship brings us into the light of His presence and reminds us of who He really is. It radically alters our perspective. Where we once thought our struggles were real and our God might be illusionary, we realize that our God is real and our struggles are illusionary. There is profound blessing in knowing who God is and claiming His presence in your life. His greatness makes all other things – especially the hard things – seem small. It allows you to pray with confidence and faith that you, through Him, will overcome. When He fills your heart with His presence, no burden can fill your heart with its weight. Learn the art of worship, and be blessed.” “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) God is Light; God is Love; God is Life. (1 John) Amen

Liberty

2010-07-04T00:07:00.000-05:00

“Happy Birthday America”! Well, it’s official. The United States of America is now engaged in the longest war in it’s history. I’m sort of confused as to the country or the conquest that has given U.S. that great honor, but I assume all our military activity is being lumped under one banner, “The War on Terror”. Then again, it hasn’t been a real healthy practice lately to assume anything, expecting the truth to reveal itself or be witness to a positive conclusion of action at a later date. I’ve served my time and I’m happy I can stand in the shadow of our flag, still free to pursue my dreams of life.
I am the flag of the United States of America. My name is “Old Glory”. I fly atop the world’s tallest buildings. I stand watch in America’s halls of justice. I fly majestically over institutes of learning. I stand guard with power in the world. Look up to see me. I stand for peace, honor, truth and justice. I stand for freedom. I am confident. I am arrogant. I am proud. When I am flown with fellow banners, my head is a little higher, my colors a little truer. I bow to no one! I am recognized all over the world. I am worshipped; I am saluted; I am loved; I am revered; I am respected; and I am feared. I have fought in every battle of every war for more than 200 years. I was flown at Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Shiloh and Appomattox. I was there at San Juan Hill and in the trenches of France. People of the Argonne Forest, Anzio, Rome, Normandy, Guam, Okinawa, Korea and Vietnam all know me. I was there. I led the troops. I was dirty, battle-worn and tired, but the soldiers cheered me on and I was proud to serve. I have been burned, torn and trampled on in the streets I have helped set free. It never hurt, for I am invincible. I have been soiled upon, burned, torn and trampled on in the streets of my own country by those whom I have served in battle and that hurts, but I shall overcome for I am strong. I have slipped the bonds of Earth and flown proudly over the uncharted frontiers of space. From my vantage point on the moon I have borne silent witness to all of America’s finest hours, but my finest hour is yet to come. When I am torn into strips and used as bandages for my wounded comrades on the battlefield, when I am flown at half-mast to honor a fallen soldier, or when I lie in the trembling arms of a grieving parent at the grave of their child, then am I most proud. My name is “Old Glory”, long may I wave. Dear God in heaven, long may I wave!
[Leviticus 25:8-54; Isaiah 61; Luke 4: 16-21] The Liberty Bell is one of the great symbols of freedom for our country. It was cast in London, England in 1752 and rang when the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. Do you know what is inscribed on the bell? Leviticus 25:10; “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” Liberty! What a blessing for the downtrodden! Jubilee was every fifty years when each family received its property back, debts were forgiven and slaves were set free. God reminded the people it all belongs to him and he wanted it renewed. Jubilee, was the foreshadow of the blessings which Christ would bring. Isaiah predicted it (Isaiah 61) and Jesus confirmed it (Luke 4: 16-21). No matter what is going on in the world, we need to rejoice in the Lord. Christ came to set us free! We can now be released from the bondage of our sins, and enjoy the glorious liberty of being a child of God. As we stand in the shadow of the cross, rejoice knowing the debt for sin has been paid. The battle is over! Raise up God’s Word. Ring out the news!

Rejoice!

2010-06-26T23:44:00.000-05:00

There’s an old country proverb that says, “Old age ain’t for sissies” and I fear there’s a lot of truth in it. I don’t know where one draws the line as to “old age”. As children our parents were old at thirty and grand-parents ancient at fifty. Personally, now that I’ve past both mile-markers, I do my best to keep from stepping over that “old age” line, simply because I don’t want to feel old. There’s a lot of merit in the “baby-boomer” proverb, “If I’d known I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself”. Yeh, that’s a reality looking back on life. Oh well, nothing to do but press forward with a positive attitude, work at living healthier and finding doctors to assist you in fixing whatever’s fixable. Eventually everything’s going to go south no matter how hard we try, but in the meantime I’m going to do my best to keep that “line” where I can see it for as long as possible. That brings me to my next fix. I’ll be having surgery on my left eye Wednesday morning. Some, something or other, is growing inside, distorting my vision that’s got to be removed before it causes more damage. It’s an out-patient thing with very little chance of anything going hay-wire. My right eye has the same thing going for it, but not near as bad. Ah, one step at a time.
The nearsighted preacher glanced at the note given to him by an usher. The note read: “Bill Smith having gone to sea, his wife desires the prayers of the congregation for his safety.” Failing to not the punctuation, the preacher announced, “Bill Smith, having gone to see his wife, desires the prayers of the congregation for his safety.”
A man went to his doctor complaining of neck pains, headaches and dizzy spells. “I’m afraid”, said the doctor “you only have six months to live.” The man decided to spend his last days enjoying himself. He quit his job, took all his money out of the bank, bought a new sports car, a new cashmere coat and ten new shirts. The tailor measured him as a size 16. “Just a minute”, the man protested “I’ve always worn a size 14 and that’s what I want!” “Well, alright, if you insist,” the tailor replied. “However, wearing a size 14 could cause neck pains, headaches and dizzy spells.”
[Philippians 4: 4-7] “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” I’m kind of slow when it comes to learning and applying. I’m one of those people who learn by experience. Show me and let me do it once, and I’ve got it. Book learning is not my cup of tea. I need to approach subjects from all angles to get a total perspective and understanding of it before I can comfortably reject it from, or apply it to, my life. The word of God is no different. That’s why I read every day, listen to good preaching and try my best to live as God intended me to live. I didn’t always do that in my life, but the strength and hope I find in God’s Word has changed my life. One commentary says this about verses 4-7. “If one is rejoicing, by definition, one cannot be despairing. Paul is not calling for people to rejoice because of the situation. Rather, it is the Lord, who is the source and cause of rejoicing. Faith in the Lord makes joyfulness both realistic and possible. To worry is to display a lack of confidence in God’s care and in God’s control over the situation.” This world is not my home. Everything I touch and see is slated for destruction. Why worry about any of it? There is no joy, only a little fun, in material things that will not last. Joy is in the Lord, the one who will rescue me from this sinful life. The peace of God will bring about my understanding of life.

Father's Day History

2010-06-19T23:23:00.000-05:00

Happy Father’s Day! I never have looked into the history of Father’s Day, so, on a whim I Googled Wikipedia for some information and was very surprised at what I discovered. As an official holiday, Father’s Day is a celebration that almost never was. The day had its humble beginning in Spokane, Washington June 19, 1910 spurred on through the efforts of Sonora Smart Dodd as a complementary day to Mother’s Day. She wanted a celebration to honor fathers like her own father, William Smart, a Civil War veteran who was left to raise his family alone when his wife died giving birth to their sixth child. Sonora suggested her father’s birth date, June 5th to establish as a day to honor all fathers. In spite of great support, Father’s Day ran the risk of disappearing from the calendar. Where Mother’s Day was met with enthusiasm, Father’s Day was often met with laughter. Slowly, the holiday grew, but for the wrong reasons. It was the target of much satire, parody and derision, including jokes in local newspapers. Many people saw it as the first step in filling the calendar with mindless promotions. (Ridiculous to even think such a thing would happen!) A bill to accord national recognition of the holiday was introduced and rejected by Congress in 1913. In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson, went to Spokane to speak in a Father’s Day celebration and wanted to make it official, but Congress again resisted, fearing that it would become commercialized. (Ha!) President Calvin Coolidge recommended in 1924 that the day be observed by the nation, but stopped short of a proclamation. In 1957, Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith wrote a proposal accusing Congress of ignoring fathers for forty years while honoring mothers, thus singling out one of two parents. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. Six years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President Richard Nixon signed it into law in 1972. Father’s Day is celebrated in countries throughout the world, in many different ways, some official and some not. Commercialized? Yes, but with sincere love and honor.
One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm a mother was tucking her small boy into bed. She was about to turn off the light when he asked with a slight tremble in his voice, “Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?” The mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug. “I can’t dear”, she said, “I have to sleep in daddy’s room.” A long silence was broken by the boy’s shaky little voice, “The big sissy!”
A father is one who gives his daughter away to a man who is not nearly good enough, so they can give him the best grandkids there are anywhere.
It used to be that fathers dealt out a stern code of discipline to junior. Then the electric razor took away his razor strap, furnaces took away the woodshed, and tax worries took away his hair and the hairbrush. That’s why kids are running wild today. The dad’s of the world have run out of disciplinary tools.
[John 14] Jesus talks with his disciples about his departure from this world. Jesus reassures his followers that his father is also their father if they obey his commands. “If you love me you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of Truth.” God the Father will supply our every need. “…He who loves me will be loved by my Father … (v21).

Involved or Committed?

2010-06-12T23:57:00.000-05:00

I’ve owned several vehicles in my life and can honestly say only one was a bad buy. Personally, I think the man I bought that vehicle from owned two identical cars, because the one I ended up with just didn’t feel like the one I test drove; just a bad deal all around. I’ve only had one showroom new car in my life. I was 19 years old, owned it only three months, until Uncle Sam relocated me with a lower paying job. Well, as you know, I replaced my van a few weeks back with one I considered a great buy. I took a little trip out of town the other day and about half way there I noticed a noise that didn’t make me real comfortable. It was one of those noises a transmission starts making just before it blows up. I’ll tell you, I was on pins and needles the rest of the trip, the noise getting more pronounced all the while. All I could think of was how much money this was going to cost me and especially if I break down far from home. With prayer and the grace of God, I made it home and discovered the noise was a worn out axle bearing. Very common on front wheel drive vehicles, which I replaced myself in less than two hours. What a relief. I thought I was going to have to beat myself up. Having doubts and fears about my decision of commitment in this vehicle every time a new rattle or roar rears its sound will eventually fade and I will hopefully come to the conclusion I made a good purchase. Time will only tell how happy I’ll be.
It is said, “Our journey across the seas of life becomes more pleasant when we scrape off the barnacles of doubt, worry and pessimism.” Thought provoking, isn’t it?
Hand written on a Father’s Day card by a teenage son: “Dad, everything I know I learned from you, except for one thing, the family car can do 110 mph!” It’s good to know our children are totally involved in our life, even though they may not be totally committed to our ideals in their lack of wisdom.
“Mama”, the little girl asked her mother, “what becomes of an automobile when it gets too old to run anymore?” “Well”, replied the mother, “somebody polishes it up and sells it as a, “good as new”, used car, to your father.”
[Revelation 2:11] “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.” The preacher started his lesson with a stern reminder, “Everybody in this church is going to die!” He noticed one young man sporting a big wide grin throughout the serious message. While shaking out the members, the preacher asked the young man, “Why are you so amused?” He replied, “This is not my church, I’m just visiting my sister for the weekend.” I sense this lack of commitment in many “church-goers”. You can’t be talking to me, I don’t belong to this or that congregation. Honestly ask yourself, “Am I committed to God and his church, or am I simply involved as a social entity of a congregation?” Look at it this way. The difference between “involvement” and “commitment” is like a ham and eggs breakfast. The chicken is “involved”, but the pig is “committed”. A preacher on the radio the other day said, “There are two types of members in the church today. The pillars, who hold up the church and the caterpillars, who just crawl in and out of the church.” In the seven letters to the churches in Asia, God said, “I know you are suffering …don’t give up …overcome.” Where do you “give your all”? Commitment: to the world, death, x2; to the church, life, everlasting.

If I Should Die Before I Wake

2010-06-05T23:43:00.000-05:00

The older I get the more disappointed I am with the fruits of liberalism, all of which look good on paper, but tend to develop bitter headaches once ingested into society. Outrageous awards granted by juries in frivolous lawsuits have clogged our judicial system with get-rich-quick, finger-pointing, he said, she said, lawsuits that don’t amount to a hill of beans, all because somebody’s feelings got hurt over a spilled cup of coffee. It doesn’t seem anybody wants to be responsible for anything in their own life anymore, let alone be respectful of other people’s lives. The bottom line has become top priority and it doesn’t seem to matter how you get there anymore. “Just do it.” Lying, cheating, stealing and manipulating are all a part of business as a sense of survival of the fittest. Well, this type of thinking is tearing down financial structures all around the world. They can no longer be supported by the “new math” of liberals.
Most of what we really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, we should have learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox. These are the things we were taught: Share everything; Play fair; Don’t hit people; Put things back where you found them; Clean up your own mess; Don’t take things that aren’t yours; Say your sorry when you hurt somebody; Wash your hands before you eat; Flush; Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you; Learn, and think, and draw, and paint, and sing, and dance, and play, and work some every day; Take a nap every afternoon; When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together; Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the cup of dirt. The roots grow down and the plant grows up, and nobody really knows why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the cup full of dirt …they all die; so do we. Remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: LOOK. Everything we needed to know is in that book somewhere; The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation, ecology and politics and sane living. Think of what a better world it would be if we all had cookies and milk about 2 o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Just think, if we had a basic policy in our nation and nations of the world, to always put things back where we found them and clean up our own messes, what a different life we would be living today. And always remember, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, hold hands and stick together.
[Ecclesiastes 2] “If I should die before I wake” prayed young Billy, “If I should die before I wake …If I should die” “Go on Billy”, urged his mother, “you know the rest of the prayer.” Scrambling to his feet Billy blurted, “I’ll be right back!” He ran into the next room, but soon he was back. Dropping to his knees he finished his prayer without a bobble. Tucking him into bed, his mother gently rebuked him for interrupting his prayer and that he should be thinking about what he was saying while praying. “I was”, said the boy defensively, “that’s why I stopped. You see, I stood all of Ted’s soldiers on their heads just to see how mad he would be in the morning. If I should die before I wake, I wouldn’t want him to find them that way, so I had to go and fix them right.” We are all too worldly. In the Bible book of Mathew, chapters 5, 6 & 7, the teaching of Jesus changed the world. It’s a shame we’re slipping back into barbaric thinking.

It'll Fit, Give It Time

2010-05-29T22:48:00.000-05:00

I just changed vehicles the other day, the first time in nine years. I have a habit of driving my vehicles for years, because they become like a comfortable shoe, a reliable friend and a familiar trustworthy ally. I know them mechanically and know there limitations, which lends to long term relationships. To me, getting into a different vehicle is like moving into a new house. All my stuff don’t fit. Plus, it’s getting used to everything being foreign to the touch and sight. It’s like putting on someone else’s shoes. Their not new, where you can mold them to your feet, instead, they’re already molded to other feet and there’s lumps and such contrary to the shape of your feet. You know what I mean; the size is right, there are just a few lumps that need rearranging, to make it comfortable. Anyway, I traded up 5 years to a ’02 and dropped 100,000 miles in another van to assist me in the Lord’s work. It won’t be long before this van fits just as comfortably as the old one, a new old reliable. I pray this one is as good as the last.
Putting on his coat after worship, another said, “Are you Mr. Smith from Newport?” “No I’m not. Why do you ask?” the man inquired. “Well, you see, I am Mr. Smith and I believe that’s his coat you’re putting on.” (It probably didn’t fit right anyway.)
The Navy Chief noticed a new seaman and barked at him, “Get over here! What’s your name?” “Paul”, the new seaman replied. “Look, I don’t know what kind of bleeding-heart pansy junk they’re teaching sailors in boot camp these days, but I don’t call anyone by their first name”, the Chief scowled. “It breeds familiarity, and that leads to a breakdown in authority. I refer to my sailors by their last name only: Smith, Jones, Baker, got it? I am to be referred to only as Chief. Do I make myself clear?” “Aye, Chief”, answered the seaman. “Now that we’ve got that straight”, continued the Chief, “what’s your last name?” The young sailor sighed and said, “Darling. My name is Paul Darling, Chief.” “Okay Paul, this is what I want you to do…” (Didn’t fit right.)
[James 4: 8] “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Luciano Pavarotti once said, “When I was a boy, my father, a baker, introduced me to the wonders of song. He urged me to work very hard to develop my voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my home town of Modena, Italy, took me as a pupil. I also enrolled in a teachers college. On graduating I asked my father, ‘Shall I be a teacher or a singer?’ ‘Luciano’, my father replied, ‘if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.’ I chose one. It took seven years of study and frustration before I made my professional appearance. It took another seven to reach the Metropolitan Opera. And now I think whether it’s laying bricks, writing a book – whatever we choose – we should give ourselves to it. Commitment, that’s the key. Choose one chair.” Pavarotti’s words are not only good advise in choosing a career, but good spiritual advise. Too often, the mistake we make is that we are too divided. We want to focus on the things of this world and the things of God, but it’s not possible. “If you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them.” We need to develop a more single-minded love for God. A worthy and fruitful relationship with God must be more than simply one item in an overcrowded agenda. It must be the central force and aim in our lives, the only thing that really matters. God fits comfortably. Try Him on for size.

Hit 'em Again

2010-05-22T22:48:00.001-05:00

Well, it appears that greed has finally trumped wisdom setting off the worst man-made natural disaster ever. The Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989 in Prince William Sound, Alaska is literally a drop in the ocean compared to what’s happening in the Gulf of Mexico off the shore of Louisiana. Over 5000 barrels (probably a very low conservative guess) of crude oil has been leaking into the gulf waters every day since April 20th, now more than thirty days. Alaska was a long ways away in 1989, but the lessons not learned then have come home to roost in our back yard. The fishing industry in much of the gulf could come to past. Shrimp, oysters, crawfish, dolphins and whatever kind of ocean creature you can think of is going to suffer greatly, not to mention the fishermen losing their livelihood for who knows how long. The favorite vacation spots along the coast are pretty much going to lose their luster and usefulness. Oh, I’m not talking about the lose of summer vacationer revenue, no not at all. I was thinking more about the millions of birds that won’t have a place to go for the winter coming up and maybe many winters to come. Maybe Northerner’s ought to take plenty of pictures of ducks and geese to show their grandchildren. Anyone who thinks this whole mess will be cleaned up before this winter needs to crawl out from under the rock where their living. Only time will tell how many states will be effected by this spill, not only Gulf States, but also, even the possibility of some Atlantic States as the ocean currents move the oil. Think of what a hurricane might do with all this oil.
“I’ll make a suit for you”, agreed the overworked tailor, “but it won’t be ready for at least thirty days.” “Thirty days!” protested the customer. “Why it only took the good Lord six days to create the whole world.” “True”, noted the tailor, “but have you looked at it lately?”
A crumbling old church building needed remodeling, so during his sermon, the preacher made an impassioned appeal, looking directly at the richest man in town. At the end of the sermon, the rich man stood up and announced, “Preacher, I will contribute $1000.” Just then, plaster fell from the ceiling, striking the rich man on the shoulder. He promptly stood back up and shouted, “Preacher, I will increase my donation to $5000.” Before he could sit down again, more plaster fell from the weak ceiling striking him, and he virtually screamed, “Preacher, I will double my last pledge!” He sat down and a large chunk of plaster fell on his head. He stood up once more and hollered, “Preacher, I’ll give $20,000!” Excitement filled the auditorium prompting a deacon to shout, “Hit him again Lord! Hit him again!”
[Ecclesiastes 5: 8 - 6: 12] I don’t want to get off on a rant here making you think I’m dead set against capitalism and the good life. I believe my heavenly Father wants the best for me and I thank God every day for being born in the land of milk and honey. I also believe fewer and fewer people are doing so. People are not waking, thanking their God for another day and all the good things it holds in store; rather they’re waking up cursing the day because they can’t keep up with their neighbor. Lying and cheating, short-changing and short sheeting is becoming a way of life in this country and the consequences are sprouting everywhere. Remember, you reap what you sow. I’m afraid the elders seated around the throne are yelling, “Hit ‘em again Lord! Hit ‘em again!”

The Final Exam

2010-05-15T23:21:00.000-05:00

The month of May brings forth wild flowers, the signs of growth in newly planted crops and stretch limousines. That can only mean that summer is drawing close, High School Proms are in full bloom and school is about to wind down for another year. It’s hard to believe we have a grandson already a full year out of high school and a granddaughter starting high school next year. Makes a body wonder where the time has gone. I remember a sign on the wall next to the clock in one of my eight-grade classrooms that read, “Time Will Pass – Will You?” Unfortunately, the message never had much impact on my studies as I barely squeaked through the remainder of the basic twelve-year curriculum. Semester tests, pop-quizzes and final exams never turned me on, as preparedness never crossed my mind as a way of easing the pain of failure. I guess that’s why I’ve been enrolled in the school of hard knocks all my life. I started out a southpaw and can’t help but think how different things would have been if it weren’t for the teacher that forced me to write with my other hand. In the grand scheme of things, teachers are the greatest asset the world can boast, if only they were allowed to teach and administer discipline. In the new world order of political correctness, our teacher’s hands are tied in many aspects, unable to distribute moral thinking and plain old fashion respect for self and others. Our children need more facts, not more theories.
A group of kindergarten students were being led on a tour through a hospital, and this conversation between one of the little girls and an x-ray technician was overheard: “Have you ever broken a bone?” he asked. “Yes”, the girl replied. Did it hurt?, asked the tech. “No”, said the girl. “Really? Which bone did you break?” “My sister’s arm.”
“Well, son” asked the father as he settled down with his evening newspaper, “Are you going to need any help with you homework tonight?” “No, thanks dad”, the boy replied. Then following a sigh he added, “I might as well get it wrong all by my self”
Noticing that his son was studying while watching TV and listening to music, the father said to him, “When Abe Lincoln was your age he didn’t have all these distractions. He was studying his books by the light of the fireplace.” The boy replied, “When Mr. Lincoln was your age, he was president of the United States.”
[2 Corinthians 5: 10] “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.” Every human being will have to stand before God and give an account of one’s life. You might say that there is a final exam coming that all of us must take. We’ve all been challenged with tests at different times in our life, some we’ve passed well and others not so well, some we’ve fail at miserably, but hopefully, we’ve learned something from all of them. We’ve also experienced pop-quizzes, totally unexpected little tests that sort of challenge our sense of stability. 2 Peter 1:3-4 says “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and goodness…” and we can “…escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” In all your tests there has been a question, “Who are you going to rely on now? A. God or B. Yourself?” James 1:12, “Blessed is the man who preservers under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” God doesn’t want to see you fail. He loves you. (2 Peter 3: 9-15) Time will pass! Will you?

The Wife Of Noble Charactor

2010-05-08T22:44:00.000-05:00

Mother’s Day is a day set aside to honor the mother we all have. The celebration has ancient roots to Greece and Rome in forms of worshipping mothers and motherhood. Throughout history, some sort of observance celebrating motherhood has been passed down from generation to generation, mostly as a religious observance. Apart from religion, the “Mother’s Day Proclamation” by Julia Ward Howe, was one of the early calls to celebrate Mother’s Day in the United States. Written in 1870, it was a pacifist reaction to the carnage of the American Civil War and the Franco-Persian War. The Proclamation was tied to Howe’s feminist belief that women had a responsibility to shape their societies at the political level. More commonly known history in our observance of Mother’s Day originated in 1907 with the efforts of a devoted daughter, Anna M. Jarvis of Philadelphia, who conceived the idea of a nationwide celebration. Growing in popularity, in 1912, Anna Jarvis trademarked the phrases “second Sunday in May” and “Mother’s Day” creating the Mother’s Day International Association. On May 8, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May, Mother’s Day, and within a few years, the idea gained worldwide prominence. Thanks to Wikipedia and the Old Farmers Almanac, even I learned something. Telephones are ringing around the world, “Hi, Mom!”
A mother was dropping her son off at a friend’s house. She said to him, “Will you be good while mommy’s gone?” The boy replied, “If you give me a dollar I will.” The mother shook her head and said, “Why can’t you be good for nothing like your father!”
Johnny had been misbehaving and was sent to his room. After a while, he emerged and informed his mother he had thought it over and had said a prayer. “Fine,” said the pleased mother, “If you ask God to help you not misbehave He will.” “I didn’t ask Him to help me not misbehave,” said Johnny, “I asked Him to help you put up with me”
Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back …somebody never organized seven giggling Girl Scouts to sell cookies. Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child got married …somebody doesn’t know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother’s heartstrings. Somebody said a mother’s job is done when her last child leaves home …somebody evidently never had any grandchildren. Somebody said your mother knows you love her, no need to tell her …somebody isn’t a mother.
[Proverbs 31: 10-31] Following the book of Psalms, which focuses on our devotional life, we find the book of Proverbs, which focuses on our practical life. The English word “proverb” means a brief saying in place of many words. It would in deed take many more words to honor mothers than are stated in Proverbs, but “The Wife of Noble Character” depicted here can certainly apply to any loving, caring mother. As I read, I can see my own mother going about in her daily routines seldom for self-gratification, rather for the comfort and welfare of her family. I don’t think she felt her work had ever been completed as she was always seeking to please others rather than herself. Peace and tranquility was her foremost goal, but I think she felt she would only find it in the arms of Jesus. “You’ll miss me when I’m gone,” she always threatened. I’m glad she lived a full life. I do miss her, but I know I’ll see her again, with Jesus.

What's Your Prediction?

2010-05-02T00:48:00.001-05:00

According to Webster, to predict, is to foretell; to state what one believes will happen and a prediction is a forecast or prophecy. Therefore, it must take some sort of knowledge about a certain subject in order to make an intelligent prediction of what might happen next, when and if the subject is altered by outside influences. For example, gasoline is gasoline, until introduced to a spark, and then it becomes an explosion. Knowing this, I have a tendency to avoid flames and sparks when hand-carrying gasoline, but have no fear of driving around with 30 gallons of it stored under the back seat of my car. Knowledge is a wonderful thing, I think. The prediction of weather patterns is something we’re all familiar with. Weather forecasts are totally based on past knowledge and the predictable performance of similar patterns. When I first came to Texas I was told only two people predict the weather here; Fools and Newcomers. Since then we’ve gained the assistance of satellite imagery and good radar and Doppler echo return equipment to aid those predicting the weather making them look a lot smarter than they used to be. If you want to look smarter, listen to the forecasters and plan your day accordingly, amaze your friends and neighbors. If you want a good hoot, look up “Weather Folklore” on the Web, and remember, these people didn’t have anything to fall back on but experience. Enjoy the Texas weather.
Attending a wedding for the first time, a little girl whispered to her mother, “Why is the bride dressed in white?” The mother replied, “Because white is the color of happiness, and today is the happiest day of her life.” The child thought about this for a few moments, then asked, “Why is the groom wearing black?”
Finding one of her students making faces at others on the playground, the teacher stopped to gently reprove the child. Smiling sweetly, the teacher said, “Bobby, when I was a child, I was told that if I made ugly faces, it would freeze and I would stay like that.” Bobby looked at her and replied, “Well, you can’t say you weren’t warned.”
A mother told her little boy that if he kept sucking his thumb, he would blow up. A few days later, they were visiting her doctor. Entering the waiting room, the little boy saw half a dozen women seated awaiting their appointed turn, which were all pregnant. “Mom!” the boy cried out. “All these women have been sucking their thumbs?”
[Matthew 24:36 - 25:23] Predictions for the end time have been circulated for hundreds and hundreds of years. People gather bits of fact and hearsay, throw them into a blender and pour out a date with enough conviction they’re believable, to some. The end of the world, the return of Jesus, has come and gone three times in my life and another date is fast approaching. The Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012 and many people have accredited the Mayan’s with great insight to the end of everything. The Greek word for this type of prediction is “hogwash”. It appears to simply be the end to a movement cycle in the stars and planets, which will start over again the next day. Read the text! “No one knows about the day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” I am to glorify God in all I do, repent of my sins, fight off the evil one and be ready at all times for Jesus’ return, that’s all. The only prediction I dare make is Jesus will return on a first day of the week, the Lord’s Day. What if the Lord were to come right now? Are you ready to go to heaven with Him?

Planting and Watering

2010-04-24T23:07:00.000-05:00

Compared to one year ago, we’re having a wonderful Spring season with abundant rains and moderate temperatures. Cool nights and warm afternoons are the perfect weather conditions for new tree growth and the reemergence of summer grasses. That means it’s time for yard grooming and a renewed effort to rid your property of unwanted guests. It seems we’ve become very intolerant toward several nature tenants around our property, with due cause in some cases. Bees and squirrels and birds and ants and snakes and ground moles, along with the occasional possum or skunk, are all looking for a new residence for the summer to raise their new born. The urban NINBY syndrome (Not In My Back Yard) kicks in and we go to war with whatever we don’t want sharing our nest. Between the squirrels digging up nuts, stored last fall, during the day and a visiting possum rooting for grubs during the night, my yard looks like the lunar landscape. I guess it’s time to get the traps out. Anybody still eat these things?
God called the angel in charge of gardening into His office. “You know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there in the USA? What happened to the dandelions, violets and thistles I started eons ago? I thought I had a perfect no-maintenance gardening plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honeybees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now, but all I see are these green rectangles.” “Lord, it’s the tribes that have settled there”, the angel explained, “the Suburbanite’s. They started calling your flowers weeds and went to great lengths to kill them and plant grass.” “Grass!?” “Yes sir. They go to great pains to grow it. They fertilize it in the spring, which also kills any other plant that might want to grow there.” God observed, “The spring rains and warm weather makes the grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanite’s happy.” “Apparently not’, said the angel. “As soon as it grows a little they cut it, sometimes twice a week.” “Do they bail it”, asked the Lord? “Not exactly”, explained the angel, “most of them rake it up and bag it.” “So they sell it.” “No sir”, replied the angel, “just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.” In disbelief, the Lord said, “So the Suburbanite’s fertilize the grass to make it grow so they can cut it and throw it away?” “That’s not all”, replied the angle, “when it stops growing in the summer, due to less rain and higher temperatures, they drag out hoses and pay money to water it to make it grow, so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.” “What nonsense!”, said the Lord. “At least they kept the trees. Beauty and shade in the summer, and when the leaves fall in Autumn, they form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus they rot and enhance the soil. It’s a natural circle of life.” The angel nervously said, “Lord, I think you better sit down before I continue.”
[1 Corinthians 3] The Word of God is direction for mankind to establish a spiritual relationship with God. The church is a support group to encourage righteous living and maintaining a right relationship with God. Yet, we still see humans, being elevated to the same level, if not higher, than God is. Their authority is accepted when God’s is questioned. All humans can do is plant and water the Word of God. Study and listen to God’s Word every day, and Jesus will make it grow in your life, now and forever.

Don't Throw Darts

2010-04-17T23:28:00.000-05:00

I’ve been to my specialist again for a look-see at my vocal cords. This appointment was somewhat unscheduled. Eight weeks ago at my normal check-up, the doctor wasn’t real happy at what he saw and wanted to see me again soon. I’m not convinced he’s still happy with what he saw the other day, but my vocal cords did indeed look better. I think I had caused the problem over the holidays by slipping off my diet, eating too much of the wrong stuff. In my case, acid control is a must and I’ve learned sugar is a no-no, but very hard to get away from. It seems sugar is in everything by the carload. I recognized this and between appointments, I got back on my diet and it showed in this exam. Health is important and you’ve got to listen to your body. It has needs, likes and dislikes just like anyone else and you can’t force things on it without consequence. What’s the saying? “Too soon old; Too late smarts.” So true.
John was a student in a Christian university. One of his teachers was known for his elaborate objectivity lessons. John walked into class one day and knew they were in for some fun. On the wall was a big target, and on a nearby table were many darts. The students were invited to draw a picture of someone they disliked, or had made them angry. He and his classmates quickly started drawing. The images were pinned to the target on the wall and one by one, the students were invited to throw darts at their image. Some of the students threw the darts with such force their pictures were ripped. John looked forward to his turn and was filled with disappointment when, because of time limits, the teacher asked the students to return to their seats. As John sat thinking how angry he was because he hadn’t had a chance to throw any darts at his target, the teacher removed the pictures and the large target from the wall. To everyone’s surprise, underneath the target was a picture of Jesus. A hush fell over the room as the students viewed the mangled picture of the Lord. Holes and jagged marks covered his face; His eyes were pierced where the darts had penetrated deeply. The teacher softly uttered a few words to the quiet class, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40)
[Luke 6: 37-42] Before U were thought of or time had begun, God stuck U in the name of His Son. And each time U pray, you’ll see it’s true; You can’t spell out JesUs and not include U. You’re a pretty big part of His wonderful name; For U, He was born, that’s why He came. And His great love for U is the reason He died; It even takes U to spell crUcified. Isn’t it thrilling and splendidly grand, He rose from the dead, with U in His plan? The stones split away, the gold trUmpet blew, and this word resUrrection is spelled with a U. When JesUs left earth at His Upward ascension, He felt there was one thing He had to mention. “Go into the world and tell them it’s true, that I love them all – Just like I love U.” It all depends now on what U will do, He’d like all to know, But it all starts with U. God has definitely approached mankind with an invitation to come to Him in a spiritual relationship that will last for eternity. I find that God really hasn’t asked much in return when I look at all He has given me. He wants me to forgive others as He has forgiven me, give freely what I have been given, judge others as I would want to be judged and love as I want to be loved. Don’t throw darts blindly with anger, because the one you hurt most is the one that loves you most.

Spring Has Sprung

2010-04-10T22:53:00.000-05:00

Well, Spring has certainly sprung. After the super dry conditions and the lack of cold weather last year, I think everyone has been looking forward to this year’s wild flower season and we haven’t been disappointed. It takes cold weather and moisture to sprout wildflowers and we had plenty of that this past winter. The fields are full of brilliant reds, whites and yellows and the always awaited, last to appear, Bluebonnet, which steals the show by upstaging the rest with its contrasting blue. It seems like over night the trees have put on their summer garb awaiting their chance to lent space for nesting birds and squirrels, shade some barbecue cooks and make a comfy cool spot for an old hound dog or two. The weeds in the yard haven’t totally given up yet, but the grass is coming on with the longer days and warmer nights. Of course, there’s always a down side to beautiful things. Warnings have been posted about the abundance of rattlesnake activity and the bugs are on their way. I discovered squirrels in the church building having found their way into the attic space. I heard them running and tumbling around like out of control first graders, performing their acts of nature, which means I’ve got to get them evicted before there’s a dozen more of them running around. I pray we don’t have to tear half the building down to remedy the situation. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful time of year and I’m going to enjoy it, pollen reactions and all.
An elderly couple sat in their porch rockers watching a beautiful sunset and reminiscing about the good old days. Suddenly, she turned to him and asked, “Honey, do you remember when we first started dating and how you would just casually reach over and take my hand?” The man looked over at her, smiled and obligingly took her hand. With a wry little smile, she spoke again, “Honey, do you remember when after we were engaged, you’d sometimes lean over and surprise me with a kiss on the cheek?” The man slowly leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on her wrinkled cheek. Growing bolder still, she asked, “Honey, do you remember how, after we were married, you’d kind of nibble on my ear?” The man rose from his rocker and entered the house. Confused she asked, “Where you going?” He yelled out, “To get my teeth!”
[Romans 8] Has your life ever reached a plateau? I know it has, I don’t want to be alone here. I’ve been there several times and seem to be there at the moment. I return to this chapter of Romans to regain my bearing on life. It’s hard to not slip back into the old habits of worldly living when life becomes a little mundane. We feel we need something new and exciting to get our blood peculating again. I’m not about to confess some sort of juicy foolishness so settle down. My point is, life just seems to be on hold. Personally, I’m satisfied with the little vacation, so to speak. But, I’ve been here before, many years ago. Being young in the faith, I slipped away for several years. I never became comfortable in my relationship with God just by being good at life. Until I returned to live by the spirit and do life in my Lord’s name, did I become comfortable in life. Through this chapter I can look back to see where I came from, where I am and where I’m going with the confidence of knowing I’m on the right road. My study habits and prayer life are no longer sufficient for who I want to become, hence the plateau. I’m mature enough not to slip away ever again, but I also know I’m not what I ought to be spiritually. The meat of God’s Word is what I need. Where are my teeth?

The Bottom Line

2010-04-03T22:14:00.000-05:00

I have a rather mixed feeling when it comes to today’s thoughts about free enterprise and the act of profit overshadowing all other consideration of personal well being. I grew up in a small city in Upstate New York during the fifties and sixties. Springtime was a rather significant event, especially after a rather harsh winter. Unlike South Texas, it involves a wardrobe change and the tools of engagement toward household chores changed from snow removal to lawn care and garden tending. Much like South Texas, as long as Texas has winter rains, people have a sense of renewal with the sprouting of flowers filling the countryside with color and the trees putting on their new clothing for the summer. As a youngster, I also felt a sense of Springtime Thanksgiving when Easter rolled around. I grew up in a time when there was no fast-food drive-thru’s and the movie theater was closed on Sunday. It was very rare to find any kind of business open after six, nine at the very latest, on Saturday evening until eight on Monday morning. At noon on “Good Friday”, every business locked their doors and every activity came to a screeching halt until three o’clock. There was a feeling of reverence in the air all day and the anticipation of an awesome celebration to be experienced at worship on the coming Sunday morning. The earth was being resurrected from the winter to newness of life and it was time to remember the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. Nothing else mattered that weekend. The death, burial and resurrection of Christ has become as commercialized as the celebration of His birth. It seems the hope that lies in Christ anymore is the bottom line of red or black. It’s all about “me”, my wants and needs and how best “I” can satisfy them. Once again, I would like to remind you, the reason for the season is Christ, nothing more.
“Oh, my Lord! Look at him hanging there! Suffering there for all to see. Oh, my Lord! Look at him hanging there! Dying there for you and me. Look at him, up there, bleeding! It’s not a pretty sight to see. He doesn’t look very lordly, hanging there on that old tree. Oh, my Lord! Look at him hanging there! Suffering there for all to see. Oh, my Lord! Look at him hanging there! Dying there for you and me. He could have called ten legions of angels just to come and rescue him. He could have called down God’s anger on everyone, on a whim. Oh, my Lord! Look at him hanging there! Suffering there for all to see. Oh, my Lord! Look at him hanging there! Dying there for you and me.”
[Matthew 24: 36-51] Our Lord and Savior, has been gone a long time and our complacency is turning our hearts to stone. No matter how much our attitudes change I can predict this: The Bible will still have all the answers; Prayer will still be the most powerful thing on earth; The Holy Spirit will still move; God will still honor the praises of His people; There will still be God-anointed preaching of the Word; There will still be singing of praise to God; God will still pour out blessings on His people; There will still be room at the cross; Jesus will still love you; And Jesus will still save the lost who come to Him. Do you call yourself a servant of the Master, yet do not do the things he has assigned you to do? What came first, the spirit or the body? Which will live longer, the spirit or the body? One day we’ll all leave this world behind. Is your spirit ready to move on? Does your bottom line belong to the world or heaven?

Tax Time

2010-03-27T22:54:00.000-05:00

I guess you know it’s time to appease the gods at the Infernal Revenue Service. I guess it’s not fair to gripe about having to pay your fair share of tax. After all, this is the greatest country in the world where we are free to work at whatever pleases us and earn more money per capita than anyone else in the world. Yet, we still complain we’re not making enough money and the taxes we pay are not being spent wisely by those distributing the wealth. The only true complaint I have with the IRS is the fact that no one person running the place can fully comprehend or satisfactorily interpret it’s own code, lacking the ability to repeat the same interpretation twice. The IRS code is so foggy it can be made to fit any situation a good bookkeeper or lawyer is in need. I say this with tongue-in-cheek, but as we both know, the tax laws have been written to be abused and unfortunately it too often is. Don’t be a fool and forget, April 15th.
An American and a Dutchman were talking. “What does your country flag look like?” asked the American. “It has three stripes,” replied the Dutchman, “red, white and blue. We jokingly say they have a connection with our taxes – we get red when we talk about them, we turn white when we get our tax bill in the mail and it seems we pay until we’re blue in the face.” “That’s just how it is in my country,” said the American. Then with a little giggle, he said the Dutchman, “Only we see stars too.”
The preacher was called by the Internal Revenue Service about a $2500 contribution claimed by a church member. “Did he really give that amount?” the investigator asked. The preacher reflected a moment, then said, “I’d rather not say right now, but if you will call me back tomorrow, I am quit sure the answer will be yes.”
While being interviewed by an IRS investigator, a man insisted that his wife’s cosmetics were a legal deduction. Rationalizing that the household is always being compared to running a small business by government financial guidance counselors, he concluded that not only was the annual cost outrageous, it was also a total loss.
[Romans 13:1-7] Since the tax collector arrived on the scene, he has been disliked. Even in the Bible, the tax collector is spoken about in rather strong terms. In the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark and Luke people questioned the fact that Jesus shared a meal with “tax collectors”, like it was an unforgivable sin to do so. The tax collector got a bad rap even when compared to the rest of society. When Jesus ate with Matthew, “…many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples.” (Matt. 9:10) In the roll call of the twelve disciples who received authority from Jesus, there is one “Mathew, the tax collector”. (Matt. 10:3) Jesus was accused of being a demon, and “Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” (Matt. 11:18-19) Jesus spoke a parable of two sons (Matt. 21:28-32) and because of the answer to his question he said, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.” To this day, the tax collector is singled out and placed in a category of his own. When asked about paying taxes Jesus replied, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give to God what is God’s.” As a child of God, I am directed to pay my taxes, and do it without grumbling. Romans 13: 1-7 clearly states my obligation to the governing authorities. God is still on his throne and in control of everything. “My taxes are too high and I can’t do a thing about it.” PRAY about it!

An Important Date

2010-03-20T22:29:00.000-05:00

Warning! Days on the calendar may be closer than they appear. It seems far off when appointments are made, but before you know it, someone’s reminding you of it because it’s only a few days away. This world is full of procrastinators with plenty of time to get ready for important dates on their calendar resulting in half-baked presentations. I’m involved in a new endeavor in our congregation. We will open a school of Bible study September 7, 2010 at our facilities here in town. We will become a “satellite school” of Sunset International Bible Institute External Studies, an affiliate of Sunset School of Preaching. I will share a lot more information in the near future, but basically, the school will offer the same courses and credits as the residence school. As a congregation, we have a lot of work to accomplish between now and opening day with the purchase of equipment, enrollment, organizing the curriculum and of course, getting out information about the school. Dates tend to creep up on us, so I’ll start informing you now so you can’t say, “I didn’t know!”, still some won’t be prepared.
Speaking of dates, can you remember when nothing got in the way of dating? To bad we can’t find that sort of dedication in all we do. An 85 year-old woman went on a blind date with a 90 year-old man. When she returned to her daughter’s house late that night, she seemed very upset. “What happened, mother?” the daughter asked. “I had to slap his face several times”, the elderly woman replied. “You mean he got fresh?” asked the daughter. “Nooo, no, no”, she exclaimed, “I thought he was dead!”
Mark: “I had big plans for my date with my girlfriend last night, but at the last minute she invited her twin to come along.” Mike: “Twins? How did you tell them apart?” Mark: Oh, that wasn’t too hard. Her brother has a mustache.”
[Acts 10: 24-48] “He Wasn’t Much For Stirrin’ Out” by Unknown. “He wasn’t much for stirrin’ out, It wasn’t his desire; No matter what the others did, He was sittin’ by the fire. Same old habit, day by day, He never seemed to tire; While others helped to build God’s church, He was sittin’ by the fire. And when he died, as we all will do, They said he probably went higher; But if he’s doing what he always did, He’s probably sittin’ by the fire!” I haven’t attended a school of study in a long time but look forward to getting involved in a curriculum of serious Biblical understanding. The school our congregation is going to present will be under the authority of the eldership of the congregation, but will also have to adhere to the strict administration of the Sunset International Bible Institute in order to become a certified accredited school. I have all the confidence in our Lord that He will guide us in this endeavor and achieve our goal. I hope my readers understand this one thing; The Floresville Bible Institute is not going to be a half-hearted Bible study. This is a college curriculum and it will cost you some money. As I said earlier, classes will begin Tuesday, September 7th and every Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. with a lesson from two different courses presented each week. Has this peaked your interest? Contact me. I have some written information to give out. Can you fully comprehend the power of God and His message of salvation? In depth studies of God’s word will bring these things to light in your life. I pray you’re not too comfortable sittin’ by the fire you’ll not take advantage of this school. There’s a date we must all keep and it could be closer than you think. Smoking or Non-Smoking?

Weeds

2010-03-13T23:46:00.000-06:00

In total defiance to my cutting them down, the weeds in my yard seem to double every week. Our winter rains have awaken their dormant hibernating state to pop up like green monsters that sling gooey slim everywhere when attacked by trimmers and lawnmowers alike. Well, I decided to spray them after discovering my cutting of the dandelions and burr clover was only reseeding the already out of control plants. I thought it was too cold for that, but apparently not. It seems to be working. All the broad leaf plants (weeds) look burnt and the clover is crunchy when walked on. Oh, it would be heaven to not step on a burr in my bare feet in the house. One of those little, bitty burrs can stop you in your tracks right now, and say things you shouldn’t ought to
Sue, a mother of two teens and a three-year-old, was completing her college degree. Her Sociology teacher assigned the class their last project of the term called “Smile”. The class was asked to go out, smile at three total strangers, and document their reactions. Sue is a friendly person and always greeting people with a smile and “hello” anyway, so figured this would be a piece of cake. Soon after the assignment was given, only needing one more “smile” subject to document, she, her husband and youngest child went out for breakfast one cold morning, to a fast-food establishment, needing to share some fun time. While standing in line, waiting to be served, suddenly everyone around began to back away, even her husband and child. Panic welled up inside her and turned to look at why they had moved. She was greeted with a horrible “dirty body” order emanating from two homeless men. The shorter of the two looked at her, “smiling”. His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God’s light as he searched for acceptance. He said “Good day” then counted some coins in his hand. The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. Sue then realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed man was his salvation. Sue gestured the men to the front of the now deformed line. The young woman at the counter asked what they wanted. The short man said, “Coffee is all Miss” because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant to warm up, they had to buy something.) Sue felt his smile and the compulsion to help in some loving way was over whelming. With a smile, Sue ordered two more breakfast meals on a separate tray. She then walked to the table the men had chosen as a resting spot, put the tray on the table, and placed her compassionate hand on the cold hand of the blue-eyed man. He looked up at her, with tears in his eyes, a smile on his face, and said, “Thank you.” Sue leaned over and said, “I did not do this for you. God is here, working through me, to give you hope.” Sue discovered a “smile” can be more than a friendly greeting. A smile can be the key to another’s heart, opening it to the unconditional love within us all.
[Isaiah 64: 1-6] When standing before God, all we have and all we do still makes us look like homeless, dirty, stinking bums. Will you be smiling when you gaze upon the face of God? If you know of His love and compassion for you, you will. And, His return smile will be one of unconditional love and acceptance. Because God sent his Son, I have an avenue to forgiveness of my sins (disobedience) to God and through the resurrection of Christ, I have the hope of everlasting life with my Heavenly Father. The “weeds” of my sins are covered in the blood of Christ. There are no burrs in heaven.

The Tasks Of Souls

2010-03-06T23:21:00.000-06:00

Have you ever needed help with something, but didn’t know who or how to ask for it? Oh, you had plenty of people in mind, but you weren’t sure how they would react to your inquiry. We seem to have a hard time relating to one another at times, mainly because confidentiality is not one of our highest priorities in life. I personally believe this is a great deficit in our spiritual relationship with one another. As promised last week, I am presenting a spiritual story this week to illustrate my point.
A Christian by the name of Glen L. McCullough was in the dairy business near Tupelo, Mississippi. Mr. A.D. Prince was a salesman from Memphis who regularly called on him for needed supplies. One day, Mr. Prince arrived at the McCullough dairy rather late in the afternoon. He was told he would have to come back the next day because Glen was getting ready to attend a gospel meeting at the Gloster Street church of Christ. Mr. Prince said that was fine and agreed to come back the next day. As Mr. Prince was leaving, brother McCullough heard of his visitor and thought to himself, “I should invite my friend to the gospel meeting.” He caught Mr. Prince before he could leave and invited the salesman to stay for supper and attend the gospel meeting. Mr. Prince agreed and not only attended that night, but attended all three nights of the gospel meeting by Jack Meyer. Even though he learned what to do to become a Christian, he did not obey the gospel during his visits. A few months later, Mr. Prince was given a new job and never returned to Tupelo and the McCullough dairy. Decades passed and one day brother McCullough saw a newspaper story featuring an article about A.D. Prince III, a student at a Christian college. He made a few phone calls and found out that Mr. Prince, a short time after attending the gospel meeting with him, received an invitation to attend a tent meeting in Memphis. He attended that meeting, obeyed the gospel and was baptized the first night. Later, he became an elder in the church. The student being honored at the Christian college was his grandson. Year’s later still, brother McCullough and brother Prince learned they each had terminal diseases and were given just a few months to live. As time drew near for both men, Prince had his sister drive him to McCullough’s home to pay one final visit and say, “I want to thank you for inviting me to the gospel meeting that night. If it had not been for your invitation, I probably would never had heard the gospel and become a Christian. It was your invitation that made it possible for me, my family and my grandchildren to become Christians. I will be forever grateful for your thoughtfulness. Thank you.”
[John 11:35] “Jesus wept.” Our love for one another tugs at our heart when tragedy takes the life of a friend or family member. (Matthew 23: 37-39) Jesus can see the destruction to come and the souls that will be lost. As He spoke, I bet there were tears in his eyes and an ache in his heart for those who have rejected the will of God. His spiritual connection is as strong as his physical, longing to gather up and protect all Jerusalem from their impending physical destruction and spiritual separation from God. I’m willing to bet last week’s story tugged at your emotions with unexpected heartfelt love for someone you don’t even know. How do you feel when you look at someone whom you know is spiritually lost and dying? Do you pray for them? Do you weep for them? Do they see Jesus in your life? Have you invited them to join you in God’s love?

The Tasks Of Man

2010-02-27T23:10:00.000-06:00

I’ve collected many stories over the years via email, snail mail and published materials. Most everything I use has no author attached to it, but I do save all my sources for future reference. Some of them sit around for some time before I use them. Then suddenly they seem to fit the thought of my column perfectly. I received a story the other day, that made another story stand out, and I thought it appropriate to use them together. They are love stories, one for the body and one for the soul. They are rather lengthy, so we’ll share one this week and the other next week.
A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside. “Your son is here”, she said to the old man. She repeated her statement several times before the patient’s eyes opened. Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. Reaching out his hand, the Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man’s limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement. The nurse brought a chair so the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night, the Marine sat there in the dimly lit ward, holding the old man’s hand and offering words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested the Marine move away and rest awhile, he refused. Whenever the nurses would come and go, the Marine was oblivious of their presence. The noises of the hospital – the clanking of oxygen tanks, the laughter of the night staff as they greeted one another, the cries and moans of other nearby patients, did not move him. Now and then, the nurse heard him say a few gentle words; the dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night. Towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited. When she returned she started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her. “Who was that man?” he asked. Startled, the nurse said, “I thought he was your father!” “No, he wasn’t,” the Marine replied. “I’ve never seen him before in my life.” “Why didn’t you say something when I took you to him?” inquired the nurse. “I knew right away there had been a mistake, but I also knew he need his son, but his son wasn’t here. When I realized he was too sick to tell whether I was his son, or not, and knowing how much he needed me I stayed. I came here last night looking for a Mr. William Gray. His son has been killed in Iraq, and I have been sent to inform him.” The eyes of the nurse filled with tears, “The hand of the man you held and comforted all night is Mr. William Gray.”
[Acts 17:-28] Paul was speaking to a group of Greek philosophers about their concept of “The Unknown God”. He told them that all things came from God and that God is not served by human hands or is in need of anything, “ …because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.” “…and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” As an earthly father determines what is best for his family and moves to locations that will most benefit the family, so God directs us to places where we will seek and serve Him to the benefit of others, in His name. Like the Marine, we all have physical responsibilities. I have learned to let God sidetrack me, because when He directs my footsteps I receive a physical and spiritual reward. Plus, the task at hand gets completed in a better way, than my way.

The Hybrid

2010-02-20T23:11:00.000-06:00

“It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” is a 1963 American comedy film directed by Stanley Kramer about the madcap pursuit of $350,000 in stolen cash by a diverse and colorful group of strangers. The movie portrays the insane length of infatuation people will subject themselves to, to attain something they’re not even sure exists. The local, national and world news of late tends to make one think the world has gone mad. “The whole world is crazy, except you and me, and I’m keeping a close eye on you”, seems to be the untrusting thought of the day lately. As we plan our every move day after day, we also tend to find ourselves looking over the shoulder of our colleagues to see what they have planned, so we can get one-step ahead of them, or at least attempt to thwart their threatening advances on our person. People are so wrapped up in themselves and their personal gain they can’t stand to be without some sort of information coming in to be processed. A new statistic shows that the cell phone is causing more accidents on our highways today than drunk drivers. Personal vehicles are dangerous enough, having been filled with too many creature comforts already, without adding the total distraction devise called the cell phone. Sure, I can multi-task, but entering a room and temporarily forgetting why I went there, and entering a busy intersection not knowing whether the light was green or red, isn’t the same thing. Maybe it’s time for Hollywood to make a movie called, “It’s A Me, Me, Me, Me World”, a satire on the invention and use of more and more sophisticated electronic devices that gather information at faster and faster speeds. At the end of the movie the planet is spinning so fast, everybody flies off into space to be by themselves forever and ever. Almost sounds plausible.
I find a lot of truth and wisdom in the Sunday Funnies. “The Better Half” by Glasbergen, features a couple, Harriet and Stanley Parker, with a puzzled-look yellow cat. Harriet and Stanley are always dealing with the issues of the day, rationalizing and fitting in the “me society” the best they can, all the while maintaining a marital relationship. One of the January 31st quips showed the couple sharing a meal at home, staring across the table at each other. Stanley was saying, “Sorry, I wasn’t listening. I figured if it was important, you’d text me.” In the last panel, Harriet says to Stanley, “I got the test results from your ear doctor. You’re not hearing-impaired, you’re listening-impaired.” Is your world spinning so fast it’s getting harder to hold on?
[James 3] I’m certainly not out to point a finger at anyone for I sometimes stand at the head of the class consuming information just trying to keeping up with the ideals and thoughts of the world. I feel outright ignorant sometimes. I need the ideals of other people and I will use them for person gain, not at the expense of others, but to help edify others. I received an email the other day containing a philosophical statement that fits what I’ve been trying to say for years. “We are not human beings going through a temporary spiritual experience; We are spiritual beings going through a temporary human experience.” Look at yourself as a “hybrid” being. A hybrid is something that uses two or more things to form one even better thing. A car that uses both a gas engine and electric motors is a “hybrid” automobile, but the gas engine is still not wanted. The human is physical and spiritual. The physical cannot improve the spiritual, but the spiritual can enhance the physical. Together it’s a good life, even though the body fails.

Under Spiritual Control

2010-02-13T22:27:00.000-06:00

I’ve had a rather challenging and fulfilling seven days this past week. Several tests crossed my path, one of which I was looking forward to. Sunday evening I visited a sister congregation of God’s people in a neighboring city on an invite to speak. It was my first time away from home, so to speak, as I had never taught or preached outside my home congregation before. I’m afraid I spoke too long, but I guess that’s better than running out of material in ten minutes; not good at all. My lack of experience does not yet allow me to judge amount of material and its equivalency to length of time to present it, but I was close. It seems my organizational skills came up a little short in several areas throughout the entire week and to my amazement, it didn’t upset me that circumstances derailed my planned schedules. My wife was scheduled for eye surgery on Friday and a pre-op appointment on Tuesday. We had been down this road before and figured about one hour at the most and we’d be on our way home. Three and one half hours later would have been a closer estimate. On surgery day, past experiences for this type of outpatient activity have averaged four hours, but not this time. A personnel shortage in the surgical suite pushed everything back four hours making for a long day of waiting. The waiting game can bring out the best and the worst in some people. Some become boisterous, just talking aloud hoping someone will hear their complaint and help them. Some voiced their displeasure to the office receptionist, who has no control over the situation. Some simply take the delay in stride, settling in for the duration having come prepared with a book to read. Waiting also opens the door to personal cell phone conversations and a couple of, full, life histories of people sharing stories; way too much information. Needless to say, all my buttons had been pushed several times during the week, yet I maintained outward control. I give myself a B+.
While sitting in the reception area of her doctor’s office, a woman witnessed another rolling an elderly man in a wheelchair into the room. As the man’s assistant went to the receptionist’s desk, he sat there alone and silent. The woman felt compassion to start a conversation with the man, but was intercepted by a little boy who slid down from his mother’s lap and walked over to the wheelchair. Placing his little hand on the man’s, he said, “I know how you feel. My mom makes me ride in the stroller too!”
There was a brother in the church who couldn’t sing a lick and always sang at the top of his lungs. A few members complained asking him if he could sing a little softer. However, the brother continued to sing as loud as he could until a few members went and to the preacher and voiced a complaint. The preacher suggested to the brother that maybe he should sing a little softer. The man asked, “Why should I sing softer?” The preacher said, “Because five or six members told me you can’t sing in key.” “That’s nothing”, replied the man, “fifty or so members have told me you can’t preach.”
[Romans 8: 5-8] In the letter to the Romans, chapters 7 & 8, Paul speaks of the distinct characteristics of the carnal mind and the spiritual mind. When the body controls the mind there is a selfish sinful attitude, but when the mind controls the body there is life and peace. The sinful mind is hostile to God and it cannot please God. The sinful mind is poison to ones self, hostile toward others and not pleasing to our fellow man. Unconditional love for one another pleases God. (1 Timothy 2: 1-4) Love and live.

Just The Bible, Please!

2010-02-06T23:17:00.001-06:00

It seems everybody is vying for your attention with whatever ammunition they can come up with to fire at you, hopefully hitting a bull’s eye. You think I’m crazy, right? Let’s just start with the mailbox. The only thing you even look for in the mail anymore is the utility bills and a few Christmas cards. The rest of it is junk headed straight for the trash. Then you probably don’t even want to think about the ringing of the telephone. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a little tired, no, a lot tired, of the same companies calling me at the same time every day, with the same recorded message that I don’t want to listen to the nine hundredth time, any more than I wanted to listen to it the first time. Now, the advertizing on the major TV networks is totally out of control. A one-hour show is probably less than forty minutes long and the rest of the hour is devoted to prying money out of your wallet. Did you know the good ole USA is the only country that advertises medicines? Magazines are another thing all together. If you can think of an activity, I’ll bet there’s a magazine devoted to it. We are a consumer driven society where one size does not fit all and if I can’t find a size comfortable to fit my needs, I’ll simply develop a new performance package and market it to others, as fashionably new.
People are like potatoes. Some people never seem motivated to participate, but are content to watch others. They’re known as “Speck-taters”. Some people never do anything spectacular. They just lead simple lives. They’re known as “Common-taters”. Some are always looking to cause problems and get under your skin. They’re known as “Adja-taters”. There are those who always say they will, but somehow never get around to doing. They’re known as “Hezza-taters”. Some people put on a front, acting like someone else. They’re known as “Imma-taters”. Then there are those who walk what they talk. They are always prepare to stop what they are doing, to lend a hand and bring real sunshine into the lives of others. They’re best known as “Sweet-taters”.
Magazine Editor: “So, you wish a position as a proofreader, is that right?” Applicant: “Yes sir.” Editor: “Do you understand the requirements of this position?” Applicant: “Perfectly sir. Whenever you make any mistakes in your magazine, just blame them on me, and I’ll never say a word.”
[Jeremiah 10: 21] “I know, oh Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.” Even God’s Word has not escaped cultural fashion grooming, being specifically designed for certain groups of people. I receive Bible catalogs that offer an array of Bibles, the like of which I’ve never seen. Just a few examples are: A Military Bible, A Bible for Military Families, A Sports Bible, and A Bible for Urban Teen Outreach, A Bible for Small Groups, A Bible for Women, A Bible for Kids, A Bible for those Turned off by Religion, A Bible for The Muslim World, A Bible for Those Who Grieve, etc. The list seems endless. There’s a Bible for Racecar Fans, Basketball Fans, Baseball and Football Fans, Police, Cowboys, Campers, Naturalists and a Bible for those Who Face the Challenge of Forgiving. Why? God’s message is not to the physical man of the world, rather the sinful spirit of the man. God’s message is designed to speak directly to the spirit, not through your profession or hobby. We must separate ourselves from the world to understand the will of God for our salvation.

It's Time To Slow Down

2010-01-30T22:29:00.000-06:00

New Year’s seemed to slip right on by in the blink of my eye and without a moment of celebration. I awoke to the fact that the first month of the year has already slipped by, practically un-noticed, on my way to burning up another decade. It amazes me how fast Monday morning can turn into Saturday afternoon. I saw a refrigerator magnet the other day that read, “Caution! Dates On The Calendar May Be Closer Than They Appear”. Isn’t that the truth! The old saying, “The older you get the faster time travels”, is a prevalent reality and I don’t care if it fits E=MC2 or not. I don’t think I’m alone here when I confess I’ve have opened books, magazines, articles and unfinished DVD’s everywhere. 24 hours just doesn’t seem to be long enough to complete one thought before moving on to the next, hence, my New Year’s resolution, which I seem to be failing at miserably so far. I really don’t know how to state it, but last year was dedicated to my health, which I did well at, thank you very much, and continuing in that tradition I am going to add a healthier mind, you know, get rid of some more “stinkin thinkin”. I may end up with a swollen tongue by the end of this year, but I’m going to try hard.
Every successful man loves to think he has done it all on his own, his wife smiles and lets it go at that. The difference between the old and the young; the old forget and the young don’t know yet. An old timer is one who remembers when people aimed to get to heaven instead of the moon.
An artist asked the gallery owner if anyone had shown interest in his work. “I’ve got good news and bad news”, she said. “The good news is that some guy inquired if your work would appreciate in value after you died. When I told him I thought it would he bought all 15 of you paintings.” “And the bad?” “He said he was your doctor.”
Three weak Christians were out of town on a trip together sharing a room. The first said to the others, “Let’s confess our secret sins, one to another. I’ll start …my secret sin is I love to gamble and I do so every chance I get.” The second one said, “My secret sin is I love to steal, and I’ve stolen from just about everyone I know.” The third one confessed, “My secret sin is gossiping, and oh boy, I can’t wait until we get back home!”
[Psalm 46] In the midst of it all, God says, “Be still, and know that I am God”. I have learned this one important thing, the world will not stop if I do. Oh, I know I’m important to a few people in this world, but I’m not all that important. I know this world can and will survive without me if I were to depart tomorrow. Don’t call me now, thinking I’m all depressed. I’m just saying it’s time we all slow down from our running just to keep up. The world seems to be rushing into eternity all the while running away from the Eternal One. We need to slow down and bow down, taking time to give thanks for the blessings of life and confess our sins to the One who will forgive us, not exploit us. Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4: 4-7) I’ve been working on this goal for a long time, but I for one feel it necessary to make a more conscientious effort for my Lord.