Unforgettable Soup

Well, like it or not, it’s time for me to make good on my promise to start fixin’ up some things around the house. My old shop is dirty and unkempt, spiders and all that. I have a storage room with a door falling off, a leaky roof, water damage floor and some siding is coming loose. Procrastination has allowed time to run things down a little and if I don’t get a handle on some it soon, I’m afraid a lot more work is going to be required for good restoration. My wife has also been after me to spruce up the inside of the house, which I’ve promised to get to many times in the past, so I guess it’s time to get out of my “winter mode” and “spring” into action. I just hope I don’t hurt myself.
In England there’s an appeal to restore Charles Darwin’s house. There-in lies a very important lesson for us all to learn about Darwin’s home being threatened by dereliction. The roof had fallen in on his lab; the main house had a leaky roof; the walls of the study were being attacked by dampness and woodworm; without a great deal of effort, this home will eventually become a total ruin. There’s a touch of irony in all of this. Darwin popularized the idea to millions and millions of people that everything has made itself, and that nature has, on a grand scale, organized matter from simple to complex …from chaos to cosmos. But in reality, virtually every single scientific observation confirms that the very opposite is true. What we observe is that, everything that’s left to itself tends to run down – just like Darwin’s house. This house will not rebuild itself. It will take a lot of intelligence and energy to improve it and restore it to its original state.
[3 John] There was a great famine in Eastern Europe. People horded all their food and as a consequence many were starving. A stranger wandered into town, promising to prepare a delicious soup for everyone. He heated water in a cauldron, removed a stone from a velvet bag, and preceded to cook it. He hinted to the curious on-lookers that it would taste much better with a little cabbage whereupon someone brought one to him. The stranger then mentioned other ingredients, one at a time, which the villagers produced. People began to offer the stranger great sums of money for the stone, which he refused to sell. Long after the famine ended, the people reminisced about the finest soup they had ever had, not realizing they had in actuality “pitched in” for the common good of all. How many people do you know who have problems in their life, and you wish there was some way you could help them? Okay, stop counting! “All God’s children got problems!” What happens to people with overwhelming problems? You know, those with so many troubles they just seem to start wasting away. When you have so many problems you begin to look and feel like Darwin’s neglected house. People like that can’t fix themselves, and no one person can bring about a good restoration. Too many say, “How could they let themselves get into this situation. All they need to do is get up off the couch and do something to turn their life around.” Trust me when I say, in most situations, it takes a lot more than self-motivation. Enter the church. God tells us that we’ll always have the poor and those who have made poor decisions, among us. The church is made up of all kinds of people with all kinds of talents. When each contributes what they have, individually and collectively, an unforgettable pot of soup can be made and life can be restored. Are you hording your God-given talents watching others starve?

IN GOD WE TRUST, No More?

I was talking with a friend the other day about the changes we’re seeing in our local community and in the U.S. in general. Our local area has been experiencing changes for some time now as more and more farm and ranch lands are being sold off for housing development. Peanut farming is all but extinct, jeopardizing the recognition our city and county as “The Peanut Capital Of Texas”. Of the two dozen or more dairies that use to dot the local country-side, there’re all gone, save one or two. The “Mom and Pop” business is just about a thing of the past, as everyone is well aware of. My friend thought it an absolute sin that Toyota has been allowed to race with the “good ole boys” of NASCAR. He called the Camry a foreign car whereupon I had to correct him. I said, “Think about this. Of the four auto manufacturers represented in NASCAR Cup racing, the Chevy Monty Carlo and the Dodge Charger are made in Canada, the Ford Fusion is made in Mexico and the only car made in America is the Toyota Camry.” What’s wrong with this picture? Then we got to talking and thinking about all the changes an eighty or ninety-year-old has seen in their lifetime. Change is good, right?
A hunter went to a lodge and bagged a record number of birds. The reason is that he was allowed to use an incredible hunting dog named “Salesman”. That dog was the hardest working, with the most productive spirit, the hunter had ever seen. The next year the hunter returned and asked to use Salesman again. “That mutt ain’t no good any more”, the handler said. “What happened!!” cried the sportsman. “Was he injured …is he sick?” “No”, replied the handler. “Some fool come here and called him ‘Sales Manager’ for a full week. Now all he does is sit around and bark all the time.”
A new congregation needed a preacher. They agreed to look for one that would stay a long time, because typically they stay for a year or two then leave. Several preachers were interviewed and one prospect came close to fulfilling their expectations until they neared the end of his interview. “I’ve been preaching for twenty-five years and I’ve preached for only two congregations. I faithfully continued with both, until they died.”
[Deuteronomy 4: 1-31] A reader of this column from Ohio dropped me a line the other day to inform me of yet another disturbing change. The third time might be a charm, one dollar simulated gold coin is about to go into circulation, again. The two previous coins were emblazoned with images, one an American Indian, I don’t recall her name, and the other, Susan B. Anthony. The new coin sports a portrait of the all American stand-by, George Washington. But something obvious is missing. “IN GOD WE TRUST”, is gone!! Talk is to take it off paper money also in an ever stronger effort to “separate church from state”, I’ve never totally understood that concept. While patient pains-taking surgical like separation is taking place by atheistic nay-sayer’s, the very foundation of our country is being eroded away. God and prayer have long since been removed from our schools and take a look around you at the disgusting moral values we are witnessing in our young people. The money of the United States of America is based on nothing but the God fearing good word of the man holding it. Take God completely out of the equation and I don’t think there’s enough gold in the world to support U.S. Be careful what you change for the good of all. Remember, GOOD minus GOD equals O.

One Billion

Here it is March already. I said that to a friend the other day and she quickly responded, “Oh, and I don’t feel up to a thirty-one-day march at all.” It’s said that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, but so far all it’s been is a lot of wind. The mornings are still cool to cold, but people are talking about planting, or should I say gambling on putting some seed in the ground. In spite of the wet weather we had early last month, we’re still looking at the possibility of a continuing drought trend. This El Niño, Ozone Layer, Global Warming, climate altering, reverse osmosis phenomena that scientists say we’re bringing upon ourselves because we’re burning our fossil fuels at an ever alarming rate of increase, just may very well be rearing its ugly head up as a real big, “Oooops!!” Maybe the crackpot scientists should have been taken more seriously in the ‘60’s when they started warning us about this possibility. Did you know that the U.S. alone burns on average 4,000 gallons of gasoline per second? The BP oil refinery in Houston, Texas, just one refinery in the U.S., produces 11million gallons of gasoline per day, 4 billion gallons per year. It’s estimated that the American consumer bought 140 billion gallons of gasoline last year. At this rate we might all be walking soon.
While on the subject of walking; A young boy had just gotten his driver’s permit and inquired of his father if they could discuss the use of the car. His father said, “I’ll make a deal with you. You bring your school grades up from a “C” to a “B” average, study your Bible more, get involved in church activities a little more, get your hair cut and we’ll talk about it more. Well, the boy thought about it and decided he’d settle for the offer, and they agreed on it. After about six weeks they again met in the study where his father said, “Son. I’m real proud of you. You’ve brought your grades up, I’ve observed you studying your Bible more often and your participating a lot more in Bible classes and youth group activities. But, I’m real disappointed, since you haven’t gotten your hair cut.” The young man paused a moment and then said, “You know Dad, I’ve been thinking about that, and I’ve noticed that in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair and there’s even a strong argument that Jesus had long hair.” To this the father replied, “Yes you’re correct on all points, son. Did you also notice that everywhere they went, they walked?”
[2 Peter 3] Every eight hours and twenty minutes our government spends $1 billion. A billion days ago man was not yet here. A billion hours ago man was living in the Stone Age. A billion minutes ago Jesus walked the earth and a billion seconds ago it was 1959. Not a bit of this matters. So what if we burn the last drop of oil! So what if the climates all change because of the greed of man. Everything on and in the earth was given to man for his use. Granted much is being abused and overused, but nothing here is permanent. Don’t get me wrong. I cringe at the outright abuse of resources God has blessed us with. We are to be good stewards of our blessings for one day we will answer to God for the things we have done in this life. But of greater importance, are we preparing for the life to come? The fate of your spirit is far more important than drought or hurricane or tornado, which can hurdle you into eternity. This world is doomed no matter what. Your life will also end. Are you ready for the day of the Lord to come?

Don't Do It Half Way

A certain individual came to me about ten days ago with a temporary job offer for several people and did I know of anyone available. It didn’t take but about a nanosecond for several names to pop into my head, unknown to me at that time, none of which had any transportation. Well, I let the job offer be known to everyone I could think of and spread the word as this company was looking for about twenty people. I saw to it that two of them got to the interview and after getting the job, seeing that they got to work every morning this past week. How they get home again I don’t know, but I insisted that one call me every night to remind me to pick them up in the morning. I tend to forget and skip over some things at times, because I sort of wake up in a new world every day. It doesn’t take me long to get involved, unintentionally, in something deep enough to temporarily forget everything else. I don’t mind helping, but I do need to be reminded.
A woman stole a can of peaches. Her husband escorted her as she went before the judge. “Did you steal the can of peaches”, the judge asked? “Yes sir”, she replied. “Did you eat the peaches”, the judge asked? “Yes sir”, she answered. “How many peaches were in the can”, the judge inquired? “Six”, she replied. “You will spend six days in jail, one for each peach”, the judge sentenced. The husband offered, “Your Honor, she also stole and ate a can of peas.” Then there were three guys talking in the post office. Two of them were bragging about the amount of control they had over their wife, while the other remained silent. One of the two turned to the third and asked, “Well, what about you?” The third fellow said, “Just the other night my wife came to me on her hands and knees.” The first two were amazed. “What happened then ,” they inquired? “She looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘Get out from under that bed and fight like a man!’”
[Colossians 1: 3-29] A hunter raised his rifle and took careful aim at a large bear. About to pull the trigger, the bear said in a soothing voice, “Isn’t it better to talk than to shoot? What do you want? Let’s negotiate the matter.” Lowering his rifle the hunter said, “I want a fur coat.” “Good”, said the bear, “that’s a negotiable item. I only want a full stomach, so let’s sit down and negotiate a compromise.” They sat down to negotiate and in a short while the bear walked away, alone. The negotiations had been successful. The bear had a full stomach and the hunter had a fur coat. Before making a decision to help someone or teach someone, do you first sit down with Satan to negotiate the terms on how far you will go? If we set out to do all things in the name of the Lord, why do we selfishly compromise God’s truth? Christ and His church deserve our very best and utmost loyalty. Here’s a little poem by Laura McKnight. Life without purpose is barren indeed. There can’t be a harvest, unless you plant seeds. There can’t be attainment, unless there’s a goal. A man’s just a robot, unless there’s a soul. Becoming the person God wants you to be, Means being a better Christian and living faithfully. Prayers can’t be answered, unless they are prayed. So, as a child of God, make sure you pray each day. Not just for pleasure, enjoyment and health. Not just for honors, prestige and wealth, but pray as a child of God complete, One that the devil cannot beat. Pray for the joy of unselfish giving. Because great is your reward, when you make your life’s purpose the choice of the Lord. Don’t negotiate with what Jesus is preparing for you in heaven.

"Cast Down" Sheep

I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a little tired of 60,000 volts of static electricity shooting out of my fingers every time I exit my chair and get within a two inch proximity of anything metal. Low humidity and cool temps are the perfect brew for producing good static charges and for some reason I seem to be one of the best storage vessels looking for a place to discharge. The sparks that fly off me even have the tendency to turn off my remote controlled office radio. I only know of two ways to prevent this from happening. One is to simply stand still until the static electricity naturally dissipates, but I don’t have the time for that. The other is to have air friction discharge the static, but I don’t move that fast. So, until we get our humidity back I guess I’ll just have to remain a little more “shocking” than usual. Bad hair days too!

One day a little girl was watching her mother doing some dishes in the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had some strands of white hair, noticeably contrasting on her brunette head. She inquisitively asked, “Why are some of your hairs white, Mom?” Her mother replied, “Well, every time you do something wrong to make me cry or be unhappy, one of my hairs turns white.” The little girl thought about this revelation and then said, “Momma, how come ALL of grandma’s hairs are white?”

We deem it strange to see a dog or cat lying on its back sound asleep, but I think they find comfort in it, much like you and I, at the end of the day. For me, I think bed rest gives the equilibrium and the neck a much needed rest after a long day of balancing life. Not so when it comes to sheep. Known as “cast down” sheep, the shepherd goes through a lot to get one back on its feet. You see, when sheep lay on their back, gas begins to collect in their stomach. It hardens the stomach, cuts off the air passage, and they suffocate. In addition to that, their legs go numb in that position. Only the shepherd can restore them. The process used by the shepherd to get the cast down sheep back on its feet is slow and takes patience. The shepherd rolls the sheep on its side and begins massaging the four legs to stimulate circulation. Then he begins to talk in a reassuring tone to the sheep, “Everything’s going to be alright. You’re going to make it.” Then he gently lifts the sheep up, and because it cannot stand on its own he’ll hold the animal there while the sheep begins to regain its equilibrium. The shepherd can see and feel the independence of the sheep gaining as blood flow returns to the legs and stability returns. When the shepherd is sure the sheep has recovered and can stand on its own, he begins his walk back to the fold, lovingly encouraging the sheep to follow him.

[Matthew 9: 9-13] Jesus indirectly compares himself to a physician having come to heal sinners. Humanity has dubbed Jesus “The Great Physician”, but I think He would rather be seen in the same light as the shepherd working with the “cast down” sheep. When you’re on your back and the emotional pain of guilt, grief and grudges are overwhelming you, will you remember that the Lord is your shepherd? He lovingly comes with tender hands and reassuring words, picks us up and sets us up straight until we get on our feet again. Then, as He leads the way, He continues to encourage us to follow Him back to the fold. …He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness, For His name’s sake. … And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.