Fifteen Minutes

Where does the time go? It seems like I just had a birthday and here it is again. Well, like someone said long ago, “Having birthdays sure beats the alternative”. I got to reminisce about my childhood last week with the national news reporting on the big snowfall in Oswego, New York. That’s where I grew up, and I have a sister that still lives there. I remember several such snowfalls and the challenges that came with them. I also now remember why I chose to live in South Texas. I also got to thinking about my fifteen minutes of fame. It is said that we will all experience our fifteen minutes of fame and if I’ve already had mine, I’m sure disappointed. After thinking about it for a while longer I decided that, as far as I know, there isn’t any rule against improving on the fifteen minutes that may have already slipped by. Don’t try to analyze my thoughts now. I’m not planning to do something stupid just to make the national news. I just don’t want my fifteen minutes of fame while laying in a box, you know what I mean?
I don’t guess it matters the age at when your fame surfaces, because it’s what you do that matters, not when you do it. At age 42, Ted Williams slammed a home run in his official last time at bat. Mickey Mantle, age 20, hit 23 homers his first full year in the majors. Golda Meir was 71 when she became Prime Minister of Israel. William Pitt II, was only 24 when he became Prime Minister of Great Britain. George Bernard Shaw was 71 before one of his plays was first produced while Mozart was just 7 years old when his first composition was published. Benjamin Franklin was a newspaper columnists at 16, and a framer of the United States Constitution at age 81.
I think our fifteen minutes of fame just sort of sneaks up on us and I also think we get more than one in a lifetime. Maybe we have to add up the minutes. You know, like fifteen, one minute spurts of fame over a lifetime, or thirty, thirty second proud moments, if only in your own mind. I don’t know. Here are a few things we could all do to help improve our fifteen minutes. Forget each kindness that you do, as soon as you do it. Forget the praise that falls on you, the moment you win it. Forget the slander you hear, before you can repeat it. Forget each slight, each spite, each sneer, wherever you may meet it. Remember every kindness done to you, whatever its measure. Remember praise by others won, and pass it on with pleasure. Remember every promise made, and keep it to the letter. Remember those who lend you aid, and be a grateful debtor.
[James 4: 13-14] Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that city, spend a year there, carrying on business and making money”. Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. It’s only natural that we seek recognition for the things we do in life. As for me I look forward to a lot more birthdays, all the while trying to improve on my fifteen minutes of fame. My past contains a few minutes of fame I just as soon forget and since I’ve given them all to the Lord in baptism, I know I’ve been forgiven of them and they won’t ever again be accredited to my time on earth. I, nor anyone else, have any idea what tomorrow will bring. So for this fifteen minutes I’m going to please God, then the next fifteen, and then fifteen more. I will study God’s Word to learn how to do it better the next fifteen minutes, till comes my day in the box.

Ouch!!

Do you learn from your mistakes? I generally do, but it normally takes me three or four times before I get the point. It’s not that I want to make the same stupid decisions over and over again, its just that the human mind rationalizes that if you do something that has failed in the past a different way, the results will be favorable. We don’t even listen to experience half the time. “Don’t touch that, it’s hot!”; “Get down before you fall!”; “Slow down! You’re going to kill us all!”. Yeh, right. I’ve got full control here, not to worry. I’m not proud to tell you for many years I pointed my finger at others knowing what was right for them, all the while I was probably in worse condition than they. The human is so self serving it is willing to do most anything to “feel good”. A news report just the other night warned of a new twist on mind altering drugs aimed at our children. Methamphetamines, if you’re not very well versed about them, in my opinion, are equivalent to drinking a glass of gasoline while smoking a cigarette. If that doesn’t bother you, dealers are now adding a strawberry flavoring to their concoction hoping to hook an even younger group, which seems to have an endless flow of cash these days. We’re not learning from our mistakes, so neither can our children. Ouch!
A woman was a half a block from her home when she was stopped by the police. After pulling to the curb she wondered why she was being stopped. The patrolman asked to see her license and proof of insurance. Striking up a conversation the woman stated, “I’m so happy to see a greater presence of police patrol in our neighborhood. I’ve been complaining about the speeders flying up and down our streets for months now.” The patrolman replied, “Oh, in that case madam I’m pleased to report to you, we’ve just caught one of them.” Ouch! Are you a perpetrator of your own complaints?
A little shoeshine boy with ragged clothes and worn out shoes was shining the shoes of a wealthy man one day. While he worked he quietly sang, “Jesus loves me, This I know…” The man stopped the boy and asked, “If Jesus loves you so much, why doesn’t He tell some people to buy you some new shoes and better clothes?” The little boy looked up at his customer with tears in his eyes and replied, “Jesus did tell them mister, but I guess they just forgot.” Ouch! I guess we’re just too busy taking care of ourselves.
[Jeremiah 8: 4-17] Can we learn from the past? Should we try to learn from the past? If you have cause to want to go to heaven, you better learn from the past. In His infinite wisdom, God has seen to the preservation of the growth of His people. We know it as the Old Testament. In his letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 10: 1-13), Paul states to the brethren that the recorded lessons of their forefathers are for their benefit, that they too may not fall into the same condition, finding themselves destroyed in the end. I find it comforting that God, like any good parent, gives us good examples of what not to do in this life, in order that He would be pleased with our service. And let’s understand one thing here. Satan is the underlying cause of all that is bad and wrong in this world. Built into obedience to Satan are automatic consequences, not as a direct punishment brought by God, but as the inherent results of sin. You cannot live wrong and die right. You cannot sow to the flesh and reap spiritual things. You cannot think wrong and live right. You cannot do the Devil’s work and draw God’s pay. Ouch!

Enjoy Your Coffee

Ahhh, sunshine. I’m glad to see some of it today for it’s been several gloomy days without it. We sort of take the sun for granite, expecting it to always be there and when the clouds deprive us of it light and warmth we tend to get a little testy and lazy, for this is the time of year when we see less of it and that has a way of wearing us down. Have you ever noticed how we kind of take on the attributes of the day? Cloudy, cold , windy , rainy days have a tendency to pull us down into a depressing mood about everything and too many days of that in a row can really hurt productivity. Then the sunshine breaks through and we sort of pop-up out of our wasteland, wanting to go conquer something. Yes, how the day is dressed is how we dress for the day, but as for me, I’m trying real hard to check my attitude as I enter the day to make it sunny for myself, and others too.
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit an old university professor . The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups – porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal; some plain-looking, some expensive and some exquisite – telling them to help themselves to the coffee. After all his guests had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, THAT is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases, it’s just more expensive and in some cases it merely hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups and then began eyeing each others cups. Now consider this. Life is coffee, and the jobs, houses, cars, things, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us. God brews great coffee, but does not make the cups. Enjoy your coffee.”
[2 Peter 1: 3-15] There are those who feel that God has short changed them in this world. Well, I’m afraid they don’t understand that Gods plans for this world are not to make it any better than it is already, but in fact to destroy it. Here, Peter is reminding us who we are. God has provided us with everything we need to live in this world, not to conquer the world, but to escape from it, and it’s evil desires. Once we truly understand that we are first spirit and second flesh, then we will want to “participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption of the world”. When we come to the belief that Jesus is the Son of God and that He has delivered us from the clutches of the evil one, then we need to start concentrating on the promises offered by God. Peter says, we must add to our faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. We can’t always have sunshine in our lives, but I can testify to this: If you work on adding to your faith every day in all that you do, you will have SON shine in your life every day in every way. Enjoy the coffee (LIFE).

Paradise Not Lost

I went to visit an old friend the other night. Just a few years older than I and a great influence on the direction my life has taken over the years, I’ve known Ed since my teens. After being drafted into the armed forces and serving four years, each time I was home on leave I told him I had found paradise in South Texas and had no thoughts of returning to the snow country. About a year after my discharge I received a phone call from Ed asking if I could help him out as he was broke down in a little place called Pflugerville, just north of Austin. He had suffered some great financial problems, so headed for paradise with his wife and six children. Well, to make another long story short, he and I partnered up in business for a while until I was faced with great difficulties in my life. After a seven year relationship I moved on. Because of Ed, I had the courage to open my own business which ran for nearly twenty years. I kept loose track of Ed and his family for all this time knowing he lost three of his children in an auto accident and for the last five years he had been fighting cancer. He had found paradise, for he made a good living and lived his dream of building and showing hotrods and custom cars. I went to the funeral home to see him one last time and he looked good.
We live in an age of specialists, and their presence complicates life. Who hasn’t heard of the maid who proudly proclaims, “I don’t do windows!” No longer can you just go to the doctor; you must find, or be referred to, one who treats exactly what ails you. There are doctors who treat feet, those who work on the head, those who work on the nerves, and doctors who are specialists for almost every part of the body. Believe it or not, such specialization has entered even the realm of “faith healing”. It seems a faith healer came to town one day and a woman came to him with a kidney disorder. Following his prayer of healing, she began jumping around on the platform stage, rejoicing over her “cure”. She became so excited, she fell off the platform and broke her leg. When someone suggested that an ambulance be called another remarked, “No need for that. Get the preacher to heal her.” When everyone turned to him, his reply was, “I don’t do broken bones, just vital organs.” One of those things that make you go, Hmmm.
[Revelation 2:7] I must have been pretty convincing to get Ed to move his life to Texas thirty years ago. But, I also believe that God leads us and sees that we get to the places where He wants us to be, doing the things He wants us to do. Ed and I, and our families, were influenced and brought to the Lord by God fearing people in the ‘70’s. I came to the Lord in baptism first and he a few years later. The devil sifted each of us to see just how strong we were and to see if he could stop our growth in the faith. I’ve got to tell you, the devil is a mean, sorry, evil being, not wanting to lose a single soul and it seems he’ll do anything to discourage anyone from coming to the Lord. He changed both of us, but our faith kept us strong. I don’t want to discourage anyone, but get ready for trials and temptation to come your way testing your new found belief in Christ. If you’ve become convinced that there is a place called paradise, and Jesus is waiting there to show you a better life, then leave everything behind and move. I’ll tell you right now, it won’t be easy, but resist the devil and he will flee from you. I try to convince people daily there is a place called paradise and I want to see them, and Ed, there again one day.

Are You A Stumbling Block?

A man was watching his neighbor as he plowed a field with his old mule. Finally, he said, “It would be a whole lot easier if you would just say “gee” and “haw” instead of pulling so hard on the harness trying to control your animal.” The old farmer replied, “This mule kicked me six years ago and I ain’t spoke to him since!” Well, thank goodness we don’t have to contend with hard-headed ole mules out in the field anymore, but I’ll bet you’ve known a few stubborn old two legged mules. I think we all pass through a stubborn streak in life, but for most it doesn’t last long because stubbornness becomes a stumbling block to ones self. It’s not long before we figure out we can get a lot more done with kind words than we can with a “my way or the highway” approach.
A family of four went to worship one Sunday. After they returned to their home and were sitting around the table eating their noontime meal, the father said, “Well, I just didn’t like the preacher’s sermon today.” The mother said, “I liked the sermon alright, but the song leader was all out of tune.” Teenager Frances said, “I enjoyed the singing, but that sermon was long enough to wear out the patients of Job.” Little Johnny piped up, “Daddy, I thought it was a great show, for the dollar you paid.”
[Romans 14: 1 – 15: 6] Do you see the glass half full or half empty? Are you a positive thinker or a negative thinker? Are you a building block to those around you or a stumbling block? As a congregation of God’s people, our theme for the year is “Lead Someone To Heaven” and is a challenge for each member to accomplish in 2007. To get started, we are, at the beginning of this year, working to become more positive, especially in our speech to one another. That means keeping our negative thoughts to ourselves and, stop the gossip. We really need to stop acting like the world. And, maybe our attitude adjustment needs to start before we gather with the church. The following is probably not a positive way to start the week. Wake up late on Sunday morning. Fuss at the children for not getting out of bed rapidly. Hurry through breakfast. Look for your Bible. Yell at your companion, “We’re going to be late!” Fuss at the children for not getting ready fast enough. Drag them to the car. Honk the horn at your spouse. Go back in the house for your contribution check. Arrive late at worship and stumble over people getting into a pew. Glare back at those staring at you. Then focus on the things you don’t like: The temperature is too hot/cold; The songs are too new/old, or too fast/slow; The preacher said “git” instead of “get”; The usual order of worship was changed; Somebody needs to turn the sound up/down; Why can’t the mothers do something about those noisy children; If this service lasts much longer I’m going to miss the kick-off of the football game. Be sure to leave the building without speaking to anyone, but rejoicing in your heart that you fulfilled your duty in worshipping God, and setting the good example to your family. Also, on the drive home, be sure to point out the people playing golf when, “they ought to be in church”. I pray this is not your house, but maybe that’s where some of us need to start with our positive thinking. With this sort of attitude do you think you’re helping others grow the spirit of David when he said, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Are you building people up with blocks of love and praise or tripping their faith with stumbling blocks of judgment? Think about it.